Text by Carol Corliss
Re-printed with permission from Motorsnippets.com
We were privileged recently to be taken on a guided tour of the Medical Centre at Silverstone Circuit and what a revelation that turned out to be. Staff on duty at the time were; Peggy Busby, a fixture there since 1948! Doctors Walton and Gabriel Awadzi. They very charmingly allowed us to photograph the facility and explained all of the function. Most people would prefer not to see the inside of this place. However, as Peggy commented "If one has to be involved in an accident or suffer a heart attack, there are few better places to be".
Many grateful recipients of treatment here (Including Michael Shumacher) have good cause to be grateful for the skilful attentions of the staff here. It is relatively quiet on Club meetings at the centre but on a Grand Prix weekend the place is hopping with specialists in attendance for every type of trauma treatment. The doyen of Grand Prix medical matters, Professor Sid Watkins an eminent Neuro-Surgeon has full use of the facilities during these weekends.
We started off at the smart reception area where the "Walking Wounded" are assessed and staff detailed to deal with them. There is in this area a well equipped treatment room a control centre with radio links to the medics on the circuit. Suprisingly, there is a 4 bedded ward in this area for full bed rest for patients. On Grand Prix weekends these are probably the only free beds within a twenty mile radius of the circuit!
Now for the interesting part….. through swing doors marked strictly private to the area reserved for driver treatment. Here there is; A fully equipped operating theatre with state-of-the-art equipment for any eventuality; A resuscitation room again with the very latest equipment installed; A fully equipped burns unit complete with saline bath along with a showering unit for sluicing people off after fuel etc has dowsed them; An X-Ray unit and developing room and again a 4 bedded ward for recovery time.
<
A waiting area for relatives etc is nearby. On any race weekend a full stock of blood is kept on site. This area has large double doors for instant transfer of patients from ambulances and of course from the helicopter which is always present for major meetings.
The staff are well catered for with a pleasant recreational area and kitchen to cater for their needs
During Peggy's time with the facility she has seen it progress from a tent near the Luffield Abbey site in 1948 to a caravan donated by one of the doctors soon after. A little later the team moved to share a wooden hut with the Press Office.
In 1961 Dunlop donated a smart new building in memory of Dr. Benjafield. This was opened by Mrs. Benjafield. At the end of this decade Louis Stanley brought his Mobile Medical Unit into being, a large pantechnicon with full facilities on board. This was present at all Grand Prix until the late 70's and the team abandoned their normal site for this for the weekend. A brick building superceded the Dunlop site, this was where the site catering H.Q., now is. The present building was opened in the late 80's and the equipment is constantly updated to ensure the very best response to any emergency. A most impressive facility.