Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Happy annivairsary to our flying doctors
297 call-outs made to rescue helicopter Praise for hero crew saving lives every day
It’s a year this month since Northern Ireland got its longawaited Air Ambulance. The aim of the Maze-based medical helicopter was to get emergency help to rural areas in the quickest time possible.
And it seems it has hit the mark on the majority of the 297 call-outs it dealt with between last July and the end of March.
In just under a year, the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland charity service’s crew is up to seven paramedics and 15 doctors, who work on rota.
On average, they are dealing with one or two calls every day in conjunction with Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.
In 80% of calls the charity air ambulance was at the scene within 20 minutes, and in the vast majority of their attendances the patient is transferred to hospital.
But the crew are also stood down in just under a third of calls.
This happens when they are no longer needed as land crew arrived first, if the patient has died or weather conditions make it too difficult for them to reach the scene.
NIAS chief Michael Bloomfield said: “NIAS has been working with Air Ambulance NI to deliver this doctor/paramedic helicopter emergency medical service.
“We welcome the opportunity to publish this first report detailing the excellent progress the service has made in the first nine months.
This is thanks to the dedicated team providing the medical service and the charity staff who continue to work on supporting the service through their fundraising efforts and engagement of hundreds of volunteers in the background to provide the helicopters and pilots.
“Together we will continue to ensure this vital service delivers the highest quality in patient care for those in the pre-hospital emergency environment.
“We are excited and proud to be part of such an important service which is saving lives.”
Ian Crowe, chair of AANI, added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our operational partners NIAS and especially our doctors and paramedics for their professional commitment not only during their duty shift but for the support and promotion of the charity through this time.
“AANI is establishing itself as a charity worthy of support and one of the easiest ways to do this is by becoming a member of Club AANI.”