30 Years Of Lifesaving Care
Helen Stevens
Birmingham Press Club member Helen Stevens (pictured),who is Communications & Marketing Manager for the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, reflects on the organisation’s role in society as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
While the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s conception doesn’t date back quite as far as that of Birmingham Press Club’s, the charity is celebrating being one of the longest running air ambulances in the UK.
Throughout 2021, the charity has been commemorating its ‘Air30’ 30th anniversary, highlighting why the vitally important service needs the public’s continued support to operate each day.
With just one helicopter chained to a tree back in May 1991, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has come a long way, and now operates a fleet of three aircraft and two critical care cars, covering the largest air ambulance operating patch in England. For the 13 people who are either unexpectedly critically injured or ill each day, it is reassuring to know advanced pre-hospital care is just ten minutes away.
When air ambulances first began operation, it was predominantly a service to scoop the patient from the incident scene and deliver them to the most appropriate hospital for their needs. Over time, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has developed all areas of its patient care provision. The team is now made up of critical care paramedics and doctors who specialise in pre-hospital emergency medicine. Their enhanced skills are complemented by administering advanced medicines such as anaesthesia drugs and strong pain relief such as morphine, as well as using state of the art equipment including ventilators and ultra-sound.
The clinicians can therefore bring the hospital to the patient at the incident scene, stabilising their condition before conveying them to the most appropriate hospital. Ultimately, this gives patients the very best possible chance of survival and good recovery.
Each year,4,500 people in the Midlands require this advanced level of treatment; their incidents range from trauma-related missions, including road traffic collisions, sporting injuries and stabbings, to medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests, heart attacks, strokes and sepsis.
To further support its advanced treatment, during the organisation’s 30th year of operation, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is currently building a new and combined airbase and charity headquarters in Cosford on the Shropshire-Staffordshire border. The new facility will be completed with a simulation suite, which will allow the team to practice their advanced skills in highlight pressurised scenarios, to support their enhanced training, and bring even greater benefit to patients when they need it most.
Each of the air ambulance’s six missions per day cost £2,500, while the service’s seven daily critical care car missions cost £224 on average. Midlands Air Ambulance Charity does not receive Government or NHS Charities Together funding for its daily missions and needs to raise in excess of £10million each year to operate, relying on donations from the communities it serves and local businesses.
Birmingham Press Club members have been of great support to the charity, helping to raise awareness of this vital service via print, broadcast and online media, and this is appreciated by the whole team at the charity as it has helped Midlands Air Ambulance remain in the hearts and minds of supporters.
If you can further support the organisation, please simply text* MissionPossible (as one word) £3 to 70085 and help make the next lifesaving mission possible.
To find out more about Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s vital, lifesaving work in your local area, visit midlandsairambulance.com and follow the organisation on social media.
* texts cost your donation and one standard rate message.
