Meet Our Volunteers: Nick Sillett ‘that case still motivates me to volunteer for BASICS to this day’
- joe24145
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
At BASICS Essex, our team of volunteer clinicians are dedicated to providing critical pre-hospital care to Essex residents, responding to emergency medical incidents across the county at the request of the East of England Ambulance Service.
Nick Sillett, aged 38 from Bishop’s Storford, is one of these passionate volunteers & joined the BASICS Essex team in 2016, continuing alongside his current job as an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner Critical Care and Clinical Supervisor.
Graduating from the University of Hertfordshire in 2008 with a degree in Paramedic Science, Nick always wanted to pursue a career as Paramedic. Throughout his career, he has continuously sought to enhance his clinical and professional skills, taking on various roles such as Clinical Team Leader and Staff Officer.
“I have volunteered in some capacity since I first joined St. John Ambulance aged six (probably what sparked my career ambition to become a Paramedic). I joined the forerunning of BASICS Essex, BEARS, in 2016 when the charity purchased its first dedicated enhanced care car. I was keen to be part of this new team, learning from Doctor colleagues and bringing the skills and experience I have gained in London to my local community.”
He is a part of our enhanced car crew responding as part of a team but also can act as a solo responder, allowing him to be available for callouts whilst also spending precious time with his young family.
When he isn’t working or volunteering, Nick can be found kayaking on the local waterways.
“In all honesty, it can be difficult juggling time, especially with a young family – but as a solo responder I am able to book on and off of the system to remain flexible.”
As part of his day-to-day role, Nick attends the most critical ill and injured patients, utilising an extended scope of practice and clinical formulary to autonomously assess, manage, and coordinate complex care in demanding situations.
He holds an MSc in Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine from QMUL and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, where he enjoys teaching and developing future Paramedics. He has a specific interest in Point of Care Ultrasound and holds a PGCert in Medical Ultrasound.
Nick shared how this experience helped serve some of his memorable moments working as a volunteer responder for BASICS Essex.
“I recall attending a road traffic collision case as a BASICS Essex Responder where there were multiple critically injured patients. I was the first critical care paramedic on scene and worked with two air ambulance teams to provide enhanced care to both patients. Their injuries were so severe that their initial prognosis was very poor.
“When I received an invitation to a patient reunion with them, I was astounded. Meeting them was really rather emotional and I felt privileged to have played a very small part in their care and recovery. This case still motivates me to volunteer for BASICS Essex to this very day.”
OUR VOLUNTEERS NEED YOUR SPONSORSHIP.
As a charity organisation, we rely solely on the generous donations of public and corporate sponsorship, so that we can equip our volunteers with the best vehicles, PPE, medical equipment and training to save lives and make a difference within Essex communities.
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