So far this year, LNAA’s crews have responded to 1,162 missions, signalling that 2023 will be the busiest year on record. At the same time last year, they were called to 1074 emergencies, the year before 1007 missions and 3 years ago 616.
Head of Operations Chris Bailey said: “The rise in missions that LNAA now respond to is twofold, firstly we have increased our ability to reach incidents and we now fly the air ambulance at night, the only Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) unit in the region to do so. We have also increased the number of highly skilled and qualified doctors and paramedics we have on the LNAA team, and this year we will cover over 900 twelve-hour shifts”.
“Secondly, we have given our teams additional equipment and training to do more for the critically unwell patients they treat. We have provided our crews state of the art patient monitors, increased the amount of blood we can carry (and have so far transfused 90 units of blood products this year), and are constantly developing and using high end prehospital interventions such as invasive blood pressure monitoring. All this results in LNAA being able to reach more patients, both day and night, and ultimately we are able to save more lives”.
This increase in life-saving capabilities comes at a cost and with missions on the rise, the charity needs to raise £10m this year.
Across Lincs & Notts the crew is called to the most seriously ill and injured patients, taking the hospital to the scene, whether that is at the roadside, in remote countryside or along the coast.
Whether by air or by road, the doctor-paramedic team carry state-of-the-art equipment to perform a range of procedures, from anaesthetics to surgery – all at the scene of the incident. All of this is made possible by donations from supporters of all kinds, of all ages and from a range of backgrounds.
Encouraging people to find out more about LNAA’s work, the charity took over roadside billboards and supermarket billboards across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, their team of community fundraisers and volunteers visited at Nottingham on 8th September, Lincoln on 6 September, and were in supermarkets on 7 September this week.
CEO Karen Jobling said: “Our vision to be by the side of more patients delivering world-class care, is underpinned by our values of Teamwork, Respect, Innovation and Compassion. To this end, we strive to continually innovate to make that happen. We hope that this awareness campaign, along with Air Ambulance Week, will encourage people to find out more about our work.
“We need to raise £10m this year. It is a daunting figure for anyone, but every donation helps us to get to that target.
“You don’t have to be a member of the crew to help save lives and we are so thankful to the people who support us.”
LNAA is one of the UK’s leading Helicopter Emergency Service (HEMS) charities, bringing the equivalent of a hospital emergency department to patients at the scene, giving those with the most severe injuries and medical conditions the very best chance of survival when minutes matter.
LNAA receives no regular direct funding from the Government. It needs to raise £8 million this year to deliver its life-saving service every hour of the day. It is thanks to the generosity and goodwill of supporters throughout the area that they can provide such a critical care service.
For more details on how to support this vital work, visit www.ambucopter.org.uk
Imagery courtesy of LNAA and Electric Egg.
