16 emergencies for SCAA crew

A busy period for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance has seen them respond to 16 emergencies in the past two weeks.

SCAA flew to Glasgow to pick up two doctors before flying on to Galloway Community Hospital at Stranraer where a seriously ill patient required critical care on an emergency transfer flight to Dumfries.

A SCAA paramedic worked with the doctors as they airlifted the patient for the 30-minute flight to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary - a journey that would have taken more than 90 minutes by road.

The crew has made the flight to Oban on three separate occasions in the past fortnight – once to airlift a young boy with breathing difficulties to the Royal Alexandra Hospital at Paisley, again to transfer a cardiac patient to the Golden Jubilee Hospital at Glasgow and a third mission to the west coast town saw them airlift a seriously ill woman to the Golden Jubilee Hospital.

Other long flights include an emergency dash to Arran to airlift a cardiac patient to advanced hospital care at Kilmarnock. And a trauma patient was airlifted from Stranraer and flown to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital at Glasgow.

A flight to Dunoon saw the crew airlift a young boy to QEUH at Glasgow as well and SCAA was back on the rooftop helipad at Scotland’s largest hospital again having airlifted a man injured in an industrial accident in Lanarkshire.

Closer to home, SCAA airlifted two seriously ill patients to Ninewells Hospital – one from Highland Perthshire and the other from the Angus glens.

The charity-funded crew also responded to a medical emergency near Pitlochry and airlifted the patient to Perth Airport where a ground ambulance crew transferred her to Perth Royal Infirmary for onward assessment.

*** Perthshire fundraisers and supporters handing in their valued donations to Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance this week include Blairgowrie Accordion and Fiddle Club who hit the right note with £1,254 raised at a recent ceilidh.

SCAA volunteer Doreen Buchan joined in the fundraising effort by organising a bingo tea in Forfar, raising £627.10.

Generous quizzers have contributed to a £345 donation from Blairgowrie and Rattray Quiz League. And AbernethyWI members have donated £100 to the charity.

An Easter Bake Sale hosted by Form 5 at Craigclowan School in Perth raised £173.50, while a“GuessThe SCAA Bear’s Name” competition staged by The Plaice To Be chip shop in Pitlochry added a further £149.13 donation to the charity.

Thanks also to Pitlochry Station Bookshop for their latest regular £300 donation.

Dalwhirr Farm Shoot members were on target with a £100 donation. And supporter Tess Monteith donated £20 following a talk to MeigleTuesday Club.

Locally placed collecting cans spilling out their much-appreciated contents at SCAA this week include those from:

The Co-op, Alyth (£11.66); the Co-op, Blairgowrie (£64); the Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum (£86.31); the Horn Café, Errol (£49.49); John Gilmour Newsagents, Cupar (£19.09); Inchmichael Garage, Errol (£17.48); LongforganVillage Shop (£133); Broxden Service Station (£563.15); Riverbank Café, Kinloch Rannoch (£89.81);theRoyalBar, Perth (£66.54); the Spar, Errol (£14.43); Strathyre Village Shop (£17.79) and Tummel Valley Holiday Park (£23).

*** Have you been helped by SCAA? No one tells of the impactSCAA ismaking better than the people whose lives have been touched by the service. Patients who are willing to share their story and experiences help SCAA to publicise and promote their life-saving service. Share your story by contacting media@scaa.org. uk