Four years of SCAA response
This week Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance marked its fourth anniversary – four years of saving and improving lives across the whole of Scotland, funded by the people of Scotland.
In that time, SCAA has responded to more than 1,400 emergency callouts – including over 200 by SCAA’s Rapid ResponseVehicle.
They have flown as far north as the Orkney island of Sanday and south to offer cross-Border assistance.
Tayside Health Board area is the most visited by the life-saving service, accounting for 45% of the helicopter’s responses. This is followed by Highland (13%), Forth Valley (10%), Fife (7%) and the Borders (6%).
Only Shetland stands out as the one health board area not yet visited by SCAA’s crew.
The vast majority of calls have been to time-critical serious trauma incidents, where rapid paramedic attention and fast transfer to hospital play a key part in survival or rate and quality of recovery.
The high-profile charityfunded helicopter air ambulance is a regular sight at receiving hospitals throughout Scotland, the most visited being Ninewells at Dundee (254 times) and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital at Glasgow (83 times).
People in Perthshire – especially those in the more rural and remote areas – have been among those to benefit most from the UK’s youngest air ambulance operation. And they have also been amongst the charity’s biggest supporters and fundraisers.
During the past four years SCAA’s helicopter has attended nearly 670 trauma incidents – including road traffic collisions (279/24% of total call outs), falls (166/14%), equestrian (85/7%) and industrial (35/3%).
They have also flown to nearly 440 medical emergencies – including Cardiac related cases (241/20.6%) and strokes (53/4.5%). The Rapid Response Vehicle – a fully equipped bespoke Skoda Octavia 4 x 4 – has been deployed to over 230 emergencies. This includes 55 to trauma cases (including 27 to falls) and 177 to medical emergencies (including 71 to cardiac related cases).
Statistically, the busiest month for the aircraft is July (12% of all calls) and the busiest days of the week are Saturday and Sunday (both 18% of all calls).
The busiest month for the land-response RRV is statistically May (13% of all calls) and busiest day of the week is Thursday (18% of all calls).
The final two emergency call outs of SCAA’s fourth year in operation were both to rural Perthshire.
A cardiac emergency saw the team fly to Aberfeldy where they assisted colleagues from the Scottish Ambulance Service before the patient was transferred to Perth Royal Infirmary by road.
And SCAA’s paramedics were also on scene to assist at a medical emergency in the Glenisla area on the eve of the service’s fourth anniversary.
*** Local supporters and fundraisers continue to donate much-needed funds to SCAA.
Callander and District Arthritis Club donated £77 to SCAA after hearing a presentation on the charity’s work.
And thanks also to The Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum for their £278.83 donation which includes the latest collection from their 5p carrier bag levy.
The Inner Wheel of Kinross has made a donation of £150 to support the work of the airborne charity. And the Provincial Grand Lodge of Perth chose SCAA as one of 10 charities to benefit from £250 donations.
A collecting can placed at The Highland Chocolatier at Grandtully has emptied out a further £21.70 and Pitlochry Station Bookshop has made another welcome £300 donation, taking their total giving to SCAA to £22,620.
Knockhill has launched an “opt in”option for those booking tickets for events there to donate to SCAA. The Just Giving scheme has already raised £57.
*** If you have been thinking about doing some voluntary work for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, then National Volunteers Week (June 1-7) would be the ideal time to get on board.
SCAA relies heavily on its fantastic army of volunteers to fulfil a wide variety of tasks – from office administration work to driving and manning stands at events.
If you think you would like to be part of this exciting and growing team – or just want to learn more about the volunteer role at SCAA – then contact Georgina Hood, Volunteers Co-ordinator, at g.hood@scaa. org.uk or call her on 0300-123- 1111.