The chair of a team of dedicated volunteer doctors which carries out life-saving work in Cumbria has stepped down from the role after 30 years.
Dr Theo Weston, the founder of Beep Doctors (BASICS Cumbria), handed over the reins at this week’s annual meeting of the charity.
He will remain on the committee and as a trustee and will still respond to incidents.
“It has been an amazing journey,” said Dr Weston, who lives near Penrith.
“Looking back to when I first set it up with a handful of people in the Penrith area 30 years ago, there is no way I would have dreamed it would become a Cumbria-wide organisation at the level and of the size it is now.
“I am hugely honoured and privileged that it has now developed into the type of organisation it is.”
Cumbria’s Beep Doctors, who are all volunteers with the charity, provide enhanced pre-hospital emergency care.
They work closely with the police and fire services, North West Ambulance Service, Great North Air Ambulance Service and North West Air Ambulance.
At incidents Beep Doctors can carry out some surgical procedures, such as inserting chest drains; some can perform pre-hospital anaesthetics; and all are able to administer drugs that most road crew paramedics cannot, such as ketamine/fentanyl to give pain relief and allow fracture manipulation.
Many of the emergencies they attend are road traffic collisions, as well as incidents involving farms, pushbikes, horses and water.
The Beep Fund, as it was then called, was founded by Dr Weston in 1994 and replaced the Penrith and District Accident Scheme, which had been jointly set up by his father, Peter – an accident and emergency consultant – and Dr Hugh Barr.
Over the years it has grown from just operating around the Penrith area to covering the whole of Cumbria, with 12 doctors now involved. The name was changed to Beep Doctors (BASICS Cumbria) in 2021.
“Stepping down as chair is part of my way of easing back as I head more towards full retirement,” said Dr Weston. “I am 66 and it is time for me to move on to do other things.
“In addition, the charity has also reached the level where I am confident that it will continue to grow in the future.
“We have three emergency response vehicles and, due to the generosity of our donors, we have just put a deposit down on a fourth. When that arrives, we shall have a vehicle based in the west of the county, one in Carlisle, one in the central area and one in the south.
“In addition, every doctor has blue lights and sirens fitted to their own cars.”
Over the years Dr Weston has carried out thousands of hours of voluntary work for the Beep Doctors, including attending two to three call-outs each week, plus administration and talks to groups in the county.
“I do it primarily because of the huge joy and reward to see people arriving at hospital in a better condition than they would otherwise have been in,” said Dr Weston. “There have been cases where people might not have made it to hospital if we had not been there, or they would have been in even more of a poorly state which would have affected them for the rest of their lives.”
The new chair of Beep Doctors (BASICS Cumbria), Dr Graeme Spencer, said: “Firstly, on behalf of everyone, I would like to thank Theo for his extraordinary dedication and vision over the past 30 years.
“His tireless efforts have transformed the Beep Doctors from a small local initiative into a vital, life-saving organisation that serves the entire county.
“His leadership has inspired countless volunteers and saved innumerable lives, leaving an enduring legacy of compassion.
“As I step into this role, I am both humbled and motivated to continue building on the strong foundation Theo has laid. With the ongoing support of our remarkable team, I look
forward to honouring his legacy and I’m excited to see how we continue growing and making a difference that ensures the Beep Doctors remain for those in need across Cumbria.”
Dr Weston, who grew up at Raughton Head, between Penrith and Carlisle, joined the Birkbeck Medical Practice at the health centre in Penrith as a full-time partner in 1992. He retired from the practice seven years ago.
He spent almost 30 years in Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team and, until December last year, served for around 20 years in the Great North Air Ambulance as one of its regular helicopter emergency medical service doctors.
He has also recently stepped down from being part of the North West Air Ambulance major incident response team.
Dr Weston was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to emergency medical care. In 2023 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by BEEP Doctors’ national representative body, the British Association for Immediate Care.
In 2023 Beep Doctors (BASICS Cumbria) were awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the United Kingdom and equivalent to an MBE.
Married with two daughters, Dr Weston enjoys sailing, canoeing, cycling and fellwalking.
“My wife and I have recently bought a little motor home and have a new Border Collie puppy and we plan to do some travelling around this country and in Europe,” said Dr Weston.
So far in 2024 the Beep Doctors (BASICS Cumbria) charity has attended 210 incidents and members have completed 736 volunteering hours.
