Not enough people realise that the air ambulance service which is mentioned more and more frequently on television and in the press is, in fact, an organisation separate and distinct from the ambulance service offered by the NHS. It is similar in many respects to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in that it is a charitable organisation which receives no Government or Lottery help.
There are currently 16 such charities across England and Wales. Until quite recently there was no coverage in our area but that changed in the summer of 2007 when 2 neighbouring charities extended their services. The Essex charity agreed to cover Hertfordshire and the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) which previously covered Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire agreed to include Bedfordshire.
In the case of the EAAA they now run 2 helicopters operating 7 days a week. Owing to operational problems they can only handle emergency calls during daylight hours although they can fly at night when moving patients to and from locations where there are authorised landing facilities such as hospital helipads. In addition to the pilot each helicopter is staffed by either a doctor and a paramedic or by 2 paramedics, one of whom acts as a navigator to the pilot.
Each month the charity needs to find around £250,000 to pay for the hire, maintenance and fuel for the 2 helicopters and for the pilots’ salaries. Only the pilot is paid with the doctors and the paramedics giving their time for free. The charity also has to equip the helicopters with all the medical equipment needed as well as all the drugs and medicines carried. This all adds up to an annual budget of £4 million and the only contribution made by the NHS is in respect of some of the bandages and medicines used on board plus a little help with staff training.
With no public money available the charity relies on support from local businesses and from the public and a lot of time has to be spent in fund-raising. It is also important to spread the word so that more people are made aware of the situation and, hopefully, will lend their support. This is what one of our staff, Consultant Solicitor David Swain, has been doing by way of his contribution. He, along with a few other volunteers, visits local groups such as Rotary Clubs, WI’s and Young Farmers to give talks and presentations about the work of the charity. If you are interested in having a presentation at your club or finding out more about how you can help please contact David at dswain@neves-solicitors.co.uk.
For more information about the work of the charity visit www.eaaa.org.uk.
