09 Jan Landmark number of missions for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance
Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) has been tasked a total of 25,000 missions since the Charity was founded 21 years ago. This landmark figure was reached on January 1st when the team attended a road traffic collision in Hertfordshire.
EHAAT attended 1,526 patients in 2019, making it the busiest year ever for the Charity’s Critical Care Teams. This is an increase of 35 patients on 2018 when 1,491 patients were treated.
During 2019 EHAAT’s helicopters and rapid response vehicles (RRVs) were dispatched a total of 2,238 times. Medical incidents accounted for 39% of the total, followed by road traffic collisions (21%) and accidental injuries (16%). The remaining 24% included a mix of cases such as assaults and sports/leisure accidents. Blood transfusions, which EHAAT has been able to provide since October, were given to 35 patients.
Stuart Elms, Clinical Director at EHAAT, commented: “The last 12 months have been a hugely significant time for EHAAT.
“We are proud of two key developments over the last year. In March, we began carrying blood products on board our helicopters and RRVs thanks to our partnership with The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and the Essex Voluntary Blood Service. We have been able to provide potentially life-saving transfusions to 35 patients suffering significant blood loss.
“Since October 2019 our critical care team has been delivering a 24/7 pre-hospital care service to the people of Essex, Hertfordshire and surrounding areas using helicopters by day and RRVs by night.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helps us. None of this would be possible without the amazing backing we receive from our supporters and volunteers across both counties and our partners in the NHS and emergency services.”
