Crab, et al. - apologies if my previous post wasn't clear and has lent fuel to the fire...
In an attempt to clarify matters:
I have yet to see any published evidence that fully supports or fully refutes the concepts of 'the golden hour', 'scoop and run' or 'stay and play' to give them their colloquial titles. This does not mean that the evidence does not exist and is yet to be discovered, or that a Type II error (false negative) has not occurred in previous research.
Most would agree that it would seem self evident that some medical conditions mandate rapid transfer to a hospital and others require treatment at scene - there are an endless list of examples. However, as this has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt in any scientific literature I have seen, the conclusion reached is that the evidence base is lacking. You may use this lack of proof on either side of the debate, but ultimately it adds little to the weight of your argument.
On the whole, modern UK pre-hospital care is increasingly moving towards centralisation of trauma resources (and cardiac resources). Therefore patients are likely to face longer journeys to hospital - the earlier instigation of treatment(s) would theoretically seem to be beneficial. However, again, there is no concrete evidence as this is an emerging concept and as previously mentioned, a difficult field to do research in.
Ultimately within the UK, SAR and HEMS are very different - whether they should or shouldn't be is another debate. Perhaps in time this will change, but until my crystal ball comes back from maintenance, I'm afraid I shall have to remain in the dark... Based on Epiphany's last comment, at least I shall know who is accountable for the lack of illumination!
Simon