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Medical student Rosa Branden has been in touch to tell us about her experience of attending our recent Mountain Trauma Day. Here’s what she wrote…

"The sun shone brightly over Hathersage for the Mountain Trauma Day - an inspiring collaboration between the British Mountain Medicine Society (BMMS), Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW) and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

More than 50 enthusiastic participants gathered, united by a shared passion: a love for the mountains, and a deep commitment to caring for those injured in them. The day began with ample supplies of tea, coffee, and enough biscuits to feed an expedition team! We kicked off with engaging talks from Dr Steve Rowe, a Yorkshire-based anaesthetist who also serves with Yorkshire Air Ambulance  and Edale Mountain Rescue Team, and Dr Jamie Barclay, the team doctor for Ogden Mountain Rescue Organisation. Both of their presentations tackled challenging real-world cases and explored the critical role of communication, teamwork and human factors in mountain rescue and prehospital care. They also highlighted the often-overlooked difficulty of closing the feedback loop with patients - a vital step for team learning, growth and personal fulfilment.

 As is so often the case it’s the unplanned moments that stop people in their tracks. Holly generously set time aside in her talk for her friend Dr Sarah Llewellyn to tell us about her bouldering injury and the many operations she’d undergone to fix it. Showing us her external fixator and talking through the many difficulties it has caused was the most engaging part of the day. You could have heard a pin drop…

After a quick coffee top-up (and more biscuits, of course), the morning continued with a powerful talk from former patient Dr Luke Mueller, who bravely shared his experience of suffering a traumatic brain injury whilst climbing in Scotland. He shed light on both the physical and psychological aspects of recovery, as well as the long road back to the outdoors activities he loves the most.

Following a delicious lunch, the focus shifted to clinical perspectives. The afternoon featured talks by Dr Holly Warder on the surgical fixation of ankle injuries and an interactive session by physiotherapists James Dunachie and Marc Barr, from Peak Physio, on rehabilitation after trauma. These were followed by an insightful look into the journey of a trauma patient through intensive care by Dr Jeremy Windsor, a consultant in anaesthetics and critical care, who offered a glimpse into a stage of recovery that many pre- hospital clinicians seldom see.

Rarely did our feedback not mention a presenter by name - Holly Warder was "fantastic", Helen Blamey "engaging and thought provoking" and our physiotherapists "a great team". As one attendee wrote, "I could have listened to each of the speakers for hours..."

The day concluded with two particularly moving and inspirational sessions. Dr. Helen Blamey spoke passionately about her work with para-athletes, sharing how people with disabilities can access and thrive in mountainous environments when given the right support and adaptations. Finally, the conference closed with a powerful talk by renowned mountaineer Nigel Vardy. Having survived a life-changing frostbite ordeal on Denali, Alaska - where he lost his fingers, toes, and nose - Nigel spoke with deep authenticity about resilience, motivation, and an unwavering sense of never giving up.

The trailer for Nigel's new film can be seen here.

It was a day filled with learning, shared stories, and renewed motivation - highlighting the strength of collaboration and the profound impact of compassionate care in the mountains.

Thank you!"

Thank you Rosa for taking the time to write! Your words echo much of what we found amongst the dozens of feedback forms we received!

The following mean scores were calculated for organisation (4.8/5), venue (4.9/5), catering (4.7/5) and educational value (4.7/5).

A final comment to sum up the day? One attendee put it well when he wrote that the day had, "Teaching with a soul..."

Thanks to all those who helped make the day such a success!

If this is your sort of thing why not take a look at other posts on the blog?

Better still, why not join the British Mountain Medicine Society! More information can be found here.

For more on the University of Central Lancashire's Diploma in Mountain Medicine take a look at this.