John Trenfield, who works at Northampton General Hospital, GP Peter Gordon, Neil Thomson from the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and Matthew Wyse, from the Coventry University Hospital, are members of the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (EMICS).

They get a pager message when a medical emergency happens within 20 miles of their home.

They then drop everything and respond as fast as they can, aiming to either get there before an ambulance arrives or support paramedics with expert care. All of their equipment and extra training - so they can drive faster than the speed limit with blue emergency lights, for example - is undertaken in their own time and from their own pockets.

Mr Trenfield, a consultant in emergency medicine in his paid job at the hospital said: "Why do we do it? Well it is a service to the community and we all have an interest in pre-hospital care for which there are very, very few doctors.

"If I was sitting in my garden on a Sunday doing nothing and somebody in my village has been run over, I want to be aware so I can do something."

Mr Trenfield attended 11 emergencies in 2009 where he got there before the paramedics, one of which was a badly-injured motorcycle rider. Other emergencies can include fires, rail crashes or industrial accidents.

Doctors can provide comfort and suppport to the patient as they can issue stronger drugs than paramedics and undertake more complex procedures.

The scheme urgently needs funds specialist equipment that the doctors carry so that more doctors can be recruited and a typical set of equipment for the doctors costs around £15,000. EMICS is a registered charity and receives no financial support from any Government source.

To help support the doctors' work, call 01572 759680 or visit www.emics.org.uk