Air Ambulance Service Award

sponsored by Bond Air Services
This award recognises the hard work and dedication of the Air Ambulance sector, which operates as 18 separate charities that raise over £35 million per year in funding.

2011 Winner

Wales Air Ambulance
Earlier this year, Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) expanded its Welshpool-based operation from a five-day service to seven days a week, ensuring that the whole of Wales receives full emergency air cover. The service operates three helicopters based in north, mid and south Wales. Last month, it was announced that full-time paramedics are to crew WAA helicopters for the first time, with WAA taking on 10 paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service, taking the total number to 15. This will generate considerable savings.

Commended

Yorkshire Air Ambulance
Yorkshire has a vast topography that includes remote, rural and densely populated areas as well as major motorways and road networks such as the M62, M1 etc. The charity’s involvement in BBC’s ‘Helicopter Heroes’, which aired a fifth series this year, led to the capture of what is thought to be the first footage of a patient actually suffering a heart attack, going into cardiac arrest and being revived with CPR and a defibrillator. This is now widely used as a training aid for air ambulance crews and paramedics around the world.

Midlands Air Ambulance
Midlands Air Ambulance was the first in the UK to use the Eurocopter EC 135 T2 helicopters, and now operates three out of RAF Cosford, Strensham and Tatenhill air bases. The service is now celebrating its 20th year, and since its launch it has responded to over 34,000 missions - on average almost ten per day. During National Air Ambulance Week (20-26 September), Midland Air Ambulance’s ‘Tea at 3’ initiative, where people across the region held afternoon tea parties to raise funds, was particularly successful.   

Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance
In May this year, and for the first time in the UK, the Trust hosted the successful worldwide aero-medical conference ‘Airmed World Congress’ together with European HEMS & Air Ambulance Committee.  The four-day conference and exhibition for pre-hospital care clinicians and aviation-based medical services included a scientific programme where subjects such as trauma and airway management, medicine and flight operations were examined. Over 600 delegates from 30 countries were in attendance.