Air ambulance reaches its 40,000th outing
Based at East Mids Airport
THE air ambulance serving Leicestershire communities has completed its 40,000th mission.
Since 2003, the local air ambulance which operates the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) and Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA), has touched the lives of thousands of individuals and families, with each crew attending an average of five missions a day.
Within minutes they can be at an incident delivering pre-hospital critical care to patients in order to give them the best chance of survival and recovery.
Based at East Midlands Airport, the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance carry dedicated critical care paramedics and doctors, onboard their aircraft and in their critical care car, who are able to perform out of hospital surgical procedures from thoracotomies and caesareans to amputations by the roadside.
This monumental milestone also highlights the longstanding partnership the charity has with Sloane Helicopters Limited. Based in Northamptonshire’s Sywell Aerodrome, the aircraft operators Sloane, have supported the lifesaving service by providing their aircraft and all auxiliary support services throughout the years.
Sloane helicopters have been chosen again by the charity to provide their next generation of Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) aircraft, which will continue the great partnership for the charity’s next milestones.
Funded by public donations, with each mission costing an average of £1,700, the charity are incredibly proud to be reaching their 40,000th mission next week, and need the continued support from the public to enable them to continue saving lives across Leicestershire and beyond.
Air ambulance CEO, Andy Williamson, said: “This is an incredible milestone for the lifesaving service we provide across our counties and further afield.
“You never know when a call will come in for our vital services, but we do know that when it does, our critical care teams are there for everyone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“We have reached this 40,000th mission milestone as a charity providing continued support to the NHS which has been vital during these last few months.
“We have been supported by donations from generous individuals and organisations in the Leicestershire communities– on behalf of the charity, we thank you all for that.
“After the difficult time we have all found ourselves in, and with the new replacement aircraft underway, we desperately need the public’s support now more than ever to enable us to continue providing leading pre-hospital emergency care to our patients and to reach that next milestone.”
To help your local air ambulance continue to provide its lifesaving service for the people of Leicestershire, please visit www. airambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.