An emergency vehicle has been added to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance fleet thanks to a donation of £38,265 from the HELP Appeal.
The HELP Appeal is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads including at University Hospital Southampton and St. Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight.
In 2024, the HELP Appeal donated £300,000 to kick start the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance’s Operation Airbase appeal – a £3.6 million appeal to relocate its airbase to a more central location in the region, closer to the majority of its emergencies. It also funded another emergency response vehicle for the team last year.
The new Volvo XC90 acquired by the charity carries the same equipment as the air ambulance, such as blood products, defibrillators, life support machines, and monitors that can record ECG’s, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and carbon dioxide levels.
This means that the care the patient receives on scene is the same as would be the case if the helicopter team had responded.
L-R: Chris Tate (HEMS Support Manager), Simon Jones (Aviation Helipad Advisor), Pat Andrews (Specialist Critical Care Paramedic).
The car has been specially converted with a blue light fit out which give the doctors and paramedics on board the best chance of bringing life-saving critical care to patients as quickly and safely as possible.
The crews respond by road if there is low cloud not permitting the pilot to fly, or when acting as a secondary response to a large-scale incident.
Of the 2,544 missions responded to in 2024, 1,346 were carried out by car – 53%. The charity has responded to more than 7,500 emergencies by car since 2017, when the first vehicle became operational.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:
“By funding both critical care cars and hospital helipads, we’re proud to support air ambulances in every way from helping their helicopters land safely beside hospital Emergency Departments to ensuring their teams can reach critically ill patients quickly by road when flying isn’t an option.”
Richard Corbett, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance CEO, said:
“2024 was the first year we responded to more emergencies by road than by air – illustrating the importance of these cars. We are incredibly grateful to the HELP Appeal and its supporters for their generosity, which will undoubtedly change and save lives in our region for many years to come.”
For more information, visit www.helpappeal.org.uk
