Their quarterly update from April to June 2016 of this year shows that 482 patients were treated, 79% male, 21% female. The most common call out is for stabbings and shootings at 30%, then road traffic collisions at 29% and falls at 24%.
Amazingly the air ambulance and crew can be from an initial call to airborne in 4 minutes and reach anywhere within the M25 within 8 minutes. They only need the space of a tennis court to be able to land with two highly skilled pilots flying at any one time.
Some of the inspiring patient stories can be found here. The support from volunteers and corporate partners makes the difference between life and death, recovery and lifelong disability.
Surprisingly only around 12% of patients are actually carried back in the air ambulance – it is the initial rapid response which saves lives. There are a number of volunteering opportunities and they are always looking for new ways to engage through fund raising and events.
The summer gala, attended by Fieldfisher and a number of the consultants we work with, pictured below, raised a fantastic £207,000. There were over 300 guests and one of the highlights was when Victoria, an ex-patient who was run over by a lorry when cycling, took to the stage to tell her deeply moving story with Dr Simon Wash, one of the doctors alongside Thomas Konig who helped save her life. Victoria was hit by a HGV lost her leg and was nearly killed. The air ambulance performed a procedure known as REBOA which involves blocking the aorta with a balloon to stem the haemorrhage from her crushed pelvis, to prevent cardiac arrest and exsanguination. This was the second time this procedure was performed outside hospital.
This money raised will enable the advance trauma team to reach around 78 critically injured people by helicopter and provide life-saving treatment on scene within minutes of their injury. The evening's festivities were hosted by comedian Andy Parsons.
London Air Ambulance is a fantastic service and we are keen to ensure that it is recognised by all. If you see a helicopter flying over, have a look up and if it has no tail rotas and is coloured red it may well be the air ambulance out on a mission, saving more lives.