Our Mission

We’re here to save lives, alleviate suffering, and promote recovery. Anywhere in the world.

Philip Astle MBE | Chairman

Philip joined Specialist Rescue Group from South East Coast Ambulance Service where he was Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Philip had an exciting and successful first career in the British Army where he commanded his Regiment on operations, led significant change programmes, was the lead strategist and planner for the international operations in Afghanistan and his final role was Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Army Training and Recruiting Agency. 

Following his retirement from the Army, Philip held various senior operational positions in both the public and private sectors. He was a Director of Border Force, played a crucial role in the planning and delivery of a safe and secure London 2012 Olympics as Operations Director at the Home Office and was COO of Her Majesty's Passport Office. At this time Philip was also a non-executive Director of the National Genomics Programme where he helped develop the hugely successful Genomics Sequencing national industry that exists today. As a result of his success in these roles, he was appointed as Vice President at Menzies Aviation plc where he was solely responsible for their UK and Ireland operations.  In 2016 Philip joined the NHS as COO and then CEO of NHS Foundation Ambulance Trusts.

“I am greatly honoured to be the Chairman of the Specialist Rescue Group and look forward to building on the fantastic work that the Group’s excellent team have delivered so far. I want to help the Group become internationally recognised for excellence in global assistance, saving lives, alleviating suffering, and delivering remote recovery anywhere in the world. I am really excited to help grow the Company and advance the industry of global assistance.”

Commitment to Excellence. Continuous Innovation.

We provide exceptional medical and security assistance services to individuals and organisations worldwide, ensuring their safety and well-being.

Dr Matthew Newport MBChB MSc DTM&H MAcadMEd PGCert FIMC (RCS Ed.) FRCA | Group Medical Director


With a background as a Consultant in Anaesthesia & Prehospital Emergency Medicine, and in addition to his Fellowships in Anaesthesia & Immediate Medical Care, Dr Newport holds postgraduate qualifications in Tropical Medicine, International Disaster Management and Austere Healthcare.

Alongside his hospital and air ambulance posts, Dr Newport has extensive experience across clinical and educational domains in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia.

Joining Specialist Rescue Group, Dr Newport said: “I am absolutely committed to the provision of clinical excellence in global assistance, evacuation and repatriation. I am excited to push the industry’s standards of global assistance and international healthcare while providing some of the most specialist, complicated and high-risk capabilities to our clients, anywhere in the world.”

Welcoming Dr Newport, Specialist Rescue Group’s Chairman, Philip Astle MBE, said: “I am really excited to welcome Dr Newport to Specialist Rescue Group. Dr Newport brings an exciting vision, along with a huge amount of experience from various public and private sector roles. I have no doubt that his abilities and commitment to this role will significantly strengthen the Group’s core medical capabilities and services, while supporting the Group’s mission in pioneering an internationally recognised standard of clinical excellence.”

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Global Protection. Personalised Assistance.

Specialist Rescue Group was founded to keep people safe around the world: we are pioneers at heart with vision, expertise and total transparency on our side.

Your global medical assistance and risk management solution, we protect you in austere, remote and conflict environments, providing your organisation with tailored safety and security solutions, emergency medical evacuation, coordinated treatment while abroad, and repatriation home. Protecting your people 24/7/365, always ensuring access to the care you need, whenever and wherever you need it.

“Pioneers at heart with vision, expertise and total transparency on our side.”

We Are Specialist Rescue Group

Global Assistance

We provide the highest case management for all medical and security-related incidents by combining both medical and security assistance services together via new technology, for the most comprehensive travel solution. From rescue helicopters to state-of-the-art intensive-care air ambulances. From complex medical repatriations to high-risk security extractions. We do it all.

Security & Travel Risk Management

We provide bespoke, accurate, real-time intelligence reporting to help you manage your global teams, both reactively and proactively. Focusing on your workforce resilience and duty of care, we help teams prepare for the trip, offer support while away and provide assistance when they have a query or a crisis - anywhere in the world.

Read more here.

Specialist Rescue

We were originally founded to provide the highest standard of service for specialist rescue on an international scale. Since then, we have grown into a global provider of both medical and security assistance services. That means that, wherever you are, whatever the situation, our team are the specialists in bespoke and accredited global assistance.

Read more here.

Our Clients

“When the music changes, so does the dance.”

Specialist Rescue Group helps you keep your people safe by changing our approach to every situation: we recognise that situations can change very quickly, which is why we help you prepare, prevent and respond effectively to emergencies. It is also why we’re the industry’s specialists in bespoke & accredited global assistance.

FAQs

  • Specialist Rescue Group are a leading medical and travel security risk services company. We are pioneers at heart, but with vision, expertise and total transparency on our side side.

    Our Global Assistance Centres work night and day to protect and protect our members. We pioneer a range of work-force resilience programs for our clients operating in countries around the world; delivering emergency assistance during critical illness, accident or civil unrest.

    We help our clients put their ‘Duty of Care’ into practice. With us, multinational corporate clients, governments and NGOs can mitigate risks for their people working remotely or overseas. Then we’re there when you need us most.

  • We operate wherever our clients go, excluding active war zones.

    Our Global Headquarters are based in London: serving as the epicenter to the global insurance market, we chose to establish ourselves where our clients, their insurers, and our partners can easily access one another.

  • Yes, Specialist Rescue Group are open to members 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. Our client’s have designated, direct, inbound dialing numbers - meaning they already know how to contact us.

    If you have an emergency, and you do not hold a corporate membership with us, we are still happy to assist on a private case basis. Call the Global Assistance Centre directly: +44 (0) 20 3670 1885

  • No. While we provide our members with comprehensive, bespoke and accredited global assistance solutions, we can still provide services to non-members in times of disasters and crisis. For a full list of our services, see our services page or get in touch.

  • Doing business abroad? Need support with an international project? Want to understand your duty of care responsibilities better? By having a corporate membership with Specialist Rescue Group, you are partnering with a trusted provider in healthcare and travel risk management - ensuring your resilience, safety and success.

    To find out more about our corporate memberships, get in touch and our sales team will contact you back to discuss your individual needs.

  • Specialist Rescue Group have access to professional interpreters and translation services - meaning if our staff can’t speak or read the language required, our group of providers can.

  • Specialist Rescue Group accepts all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), wire transfers, bank drafts, and certified cheques.

  • Our quotes are all-inclusive of Specialist Rescue Group’s case fees, aircraft mileage or air-tickets, flight crew, medical consults, landing fees, ground ambulance transportation, hospital admission coordination and taxes where applicable. Quotes are worked out from previous missions, and are adjusted by our experts according to the individual needs.

  • No. Specialist Rescue Group’s services are not like insurance benefits. To initiate assistance from Specialist Rescue Group, all you need to do is get in touch.

  • Specialist Rescue Group work with insurance companies as well as being approached by individual policyholders.

    For individual policy holders, insurance companies’ coverage varies from case to case and also depends and the insurance policy. After completing the repatriation, we can provide the necessary medical documents all insurance companies need to review your claim. Our team are happy to assist in claiming the costs from your insurance company post-mission.

    For full details regarding your insurance coverage, you need to contact the broker or underwriter responsible for your insurance policy directly.

  • Medevac, short for medical evacuation, refers to the transport of individuals who require urgent medical attention or treatment from one location to another, typically to a hospital or medical facility. Medevac is often used in emergency situations where rapid medical treatment is necessary to save lives or prevent further injury. Medevac can be carried out using a variety of transportation methods, including helicopters, aeroplanes, and ground ambulances. The method of transport used will depend on factors such as the distance to the medical facility, the condition of the patient, and the availability of medical resources. Once the patient is stable, they can then be repatriated home via an air ambulance or commercial airline with a doctor or nurse.

  • You will be taken the nearest center of medical excellence capable of providing the care you need. For example, the centers most frequently used are:

    Asia Pacific: Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney

    Africa: Johannesburg, major European cities (i.e., London, Paris, Geneva)

    Middle East: major European cities (i.e., London, Paris, Geneva)

    CIS: Helsinki, Paris, Vienna

    Central/South America: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami

  • Yes. Specialist Rescue Group will repatriate you to your home country for subsequent in-patient hospitalisation or rehabilitative treatment. This is usually performed on a commercial flight with a doctor or clinical escort.

  • Yes. Specialist Rescue Group, together with our partners, are able to offer air ambulance evacuation and repatriation anywhere in the world.

  • Yes. Specialist Rescue Group uses all available airlines and our own medical teams for stretcher, seated, and unaccompanied medical repatriations worldwide.

  • Patients cannot be held in a hospital against their will. In case of the hospital staff being uncooperative especially when there is a language barrier, contact us.

    Our medical team has considerable experience and expertise and is well-equipped to evaluate a patient's condition. If required, our doctor will consult with the attending physician to reach a solution.

  • Our doctors have the final say. Most doctors may not be well-informed or familiar with the available intensive care options during air travel and as such, they often declare patients unsuitable for flight. Our medical personnel are experts in aeromedical retrieval and transfer medicine - our doctors will consult with the attending physician to determine the patient’s fitness to fly. Likewise, our doctors have the final say in determining a patient's status and fitness for air travel.

Our Values

  • Competence

    Competence is a crucial value for us as it ensures we hold ourselves to the highest of standards: having the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to perform our duties effectively and efficiently. When we offer assistance in emergency situations, we must be able to assess the situation quickly, make sound decisions, and take appropriate action to ensure the safety and well-being of the people we serve. If we lack the necessary competence, we may make mistakes or take ineffective actions, which can put people at risk and compromise the effectiveness of our operations.

  • Integrity

    Integrity is a crucial value for us as it is essential for building trust and credibility with the people we serve. We are often called upon to respond to situations that are chaotic and stressful, and people rely on us to provide a sense of stability and security in these situations.

    For us, integrity refers to the quality of being honest, ethical, and trustworthy. In an emergency situation, people look to us to provide clear and accurate information, make sound decisions, and act in the best interests of our clients. We often work in high-stress situations where there is a lot of pressure to act quickly and make decisions on the spot. In these situations, it can be easy to compromise one's values in favour of expediency. However, maintaining one's integrity even in high-pressure situations is essential to ensure that the decisions made are ethical and in the best interest of the people we serve.

  • Care

    Care is an essential value for us because it involves showing compassion and empathy towards the people we serve, as well as taking the necessary steps to ensure their safety and well-being. When we assist someone in need, they can often be in a vulnerable and potentially life-threatening situation. In these situations, it is crucial that we demonstrate care and concern for the individual's safety and well-being. This can include providing medical assistance, shelter, and other resources necessary to ensure that the individual is safe and secure. Care also involves treating people with compassion and empathy. When we demonstrate care towards the people we serve, it can help to reduce anxiety, and fear and make people feel more comfortable and supported.

Our Head Office is in the heart of both the insurance & medical world

Head Office, Specialist Rescue Group, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN

 

Working together to keep your people safe.