Advanced Life Support Group (ALSG) MIMMS v TP-MIMMS
This short blog is designed to help event medical providers decide which course is right for their teams. It is not intended to replace formal course information from ALSG, local organisational policies, medical governance arrangements, or statutory/emergency service guidance.
Important to note: Neither the one-day TP MIMMS nor the two-day MIMMS courses provide practical training or practice in medical interventions/ treatment at a major incident. The value of these courses is in the structured incident organisation provided: command, communication, triage concepts, role clarity, escalation, resource management and integration with wider incident arrangements.
Why should event medical responders, providers and organisations attend (and pass)a MIMMS course
UK event guidance expects more than routine first aid cover. Medical provision should be planned, resilient and integrated into wider event safety management. The Purple Guide states that organisers should provide a safe, effective and resilient medical service that minimises the impact of the event on the local NHS. It also emphasises that medical cover should be based on a specific Medical Needs Assessment rather than attendance numbers alone.
For providers, this creates a practical question: can the team move from routine health care into a structured early response if there is an incident above those normally expected? The ALSG courses both help develop that organisational and decision-making capability at different levels of the provider’s organisation.
One possible solution
Train operational/ event-facing staff in TP MIMMS. Train senior clinical, management, operational and planning personnel in MIMMS. Use both courses as part of a wider assurance project, which should include local induction, event-specific briefing, medical plan familiarisation, table-top exercises and debrief-led improvement.
For many providers, the suggested best practice is a two-tier training pathway:
Front-line and operational personnel: TPMIMMS as the practical shared language for the immediate medical response.
Clinical leads, event medical managers, planners and directors: MIMMS as the broader major incident management framework.
Ask yourself these questions
· If an incident escalates, who in the medical team will recognise the change and declare the need for escalation through the event structure?
· Do front-line staff understand their role in triage concepts, casualty flow, communication and maintaining safety while awaiting further support?
· Can senior staff explain the medical plan, contingency arrangements and command structure to clients. organisers, SAGs, ambulance services and other stakeholders?
· Has the organisation tested how routine event medical cover would be maintained if resources are diverted to a significant incident?
· Are lessons from previous events, exercises and debriefs reflected in future training and planning?
How Gravitas Medical Solutions can support you
Gravitas can deliver TP MIMMS and MIMMS as stand-alone courses or as part of a planned organisational development pathway. We can help you decide which staff group needs which course, how to sequence the training, and how to align course delivery with your medical plan, event risk profile and future exercise programme. In summary for event medical providers: TP MIMMS for the team. MIMMS for the leaders.
