Air Ambulance Northern Ireland

Last updated

Air Ambulance Northern Ireland
Type Charitable organisation
Registration no.NIC103900 [1]
Location
Area served
Northern Ireland
Aircraft operated
 AgustaWestland AW109S Grand (Primary) and
AgustaWestland AW109E Power (Back-up)
Revenue (2020)
£3.2 million [2]
Employees (2020)
7 [2]
Volunteers (2020)
80 [2]
Website airambulanceni.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI) also known as Air Ambulance NI is a registered charity that operates a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) dedicated to responding to serious trauma and medical emergencies in Northern Ireland.

Contents

In August 2016, it was announced by the Northern Ireland government that Air Ambulance NI was partnering with the health service in Northern Ireland to provide the HEMS. The charity works in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), with AANI providing the aviation side of the service and funding the non-medical costs of HEMS, [3] with NIAS being commissioned to provide the clinical staff, equipment, clinical governance arrangements and operational tasking.

The service is based at Maze Long Kesh near Lisburn, where they operate both their primary and back-up aircraft from, having previously operated their back-up aircraft from their secondary base at St Angelo Airport in County Fermanagh. The helicopter has the call sign Helimed 23 in keeping with the Helimed callsigns of all UK air ambulance helicopters, and will typically transfer patients with serious injuries to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland's major trauma centre. [4]

In September 2022, AANI announced a 10-year partnership agreement with Sloane Helicopters Limited to provide two HEMS AW109 helicopters, pilots and aircraft maintenance. As part of the agreement, Sloane Helicopters provided an AW109S Grand as AANI's primary aircraft and an AW109E Power as their dedicated back-up aircraft, both of which will be operated from its airbase outside Lisburn. [5]

History

Historically, Northern Ireland has been the only part of the United Kingdom and Ireland, without air ambulance provision and several previous attempts to introduce a HEMS failed. A comprehensive report published in February 2004 argued against the provision of an air ambulance service from Scotland in favour of either a separate Northern Ireland service, or one provided as part of an all Ireland coordinated system. [6]

In 2006 Rodney Connor, Chief Executive of Fermanagh District Council, and Peter Quinn, Consultant, produced a report on the need for an Air Ambulance in rural areas and after presentation to the council was brought to the attention of the Department for Health. In 2012 Rodney Connor decided to work again on the need for an Air Ambulance and along with the Minister for DETI brought together a group of Trustees. The trustees of the AANI came together in December 2013 to commence the process of forming a charity-led company to run an air ambulance. Independently, in late 2013, Dr John Hinds and other members of the Northern Ireland Regional Faculty of Prehospital care began discussing ways of encouraging the development of a fully-fledged HEMS at a time when the only air support for casualty evacuation was from either Coastguard or PSNI helicopters. After a near fatal accident at the North West 200 motorcycle race in May 2015, Dr Hinds' views received widespread support and he began a public campaign for Northern Ireland to have its own air ambulance. [7] [8] [9] In March 2016, the key findings of a HEMS consultation were announced. [10]

In August 2016, it was announced by the Northern Ireland government that Air Ambulance NI would partner with the health service in Northern Ireland to provide the helicopter emergency medical service.

The clinical model has from the outset been based on a doctor and paramedic working in partnership, with the doctors seconded from consultant tier emergency medicine and anaesthetic/critical care physicians across Northern Ireland. The doctors undertake the HEMS role on a part-time basis alongside their primary posts in order to maintain clinical and organisational skills on both fronts. The paramedics were drawn from within the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and alongside the doctors have undertaken a comprehensive training programme encompassing clinical skills, crew resource management and flight operations training.

The service was scheduled to go live in August 2017, but actually undertook their first live mission on 22 July 2017 during one of their final training flights, when they were deployed to a child seriously injured in a farming accident near Castlewellan. The child was transferred by helicopter to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. [11]

Finances

Two of the trustees, Rodney Connor and Ray Foran produced a Business Plan which was then brought to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and, in March 2016, AANI were successful in applying to the Chancellor's Libor banking fines fund, and were awarded £3.5 million to establish and support the HEMS service in Northern Ireland. A further £1M in matched funding thereafter was also pledged. [12]

In the year ending March 2020, the charity's income was £3.2M. Expenditure was £1.7M, of which £1.3M was spent on operating the service. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great North Air Ambulance</span> English charity air ambulance

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a registered charity and air ambulance based in the United Kingdom. It operates a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the North of England with three aircraft. It serves North Yorkshire, the North-East, Cumbria, the Scottish borders and the Isle of Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London's Air Ambulance Charity</span> English charity air ambulance

London's Air Ambulance Charity is a registered charity that operates a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) dedicated to responding to serious trauma emergencies in and around London. Using a helicopter from 08:00 to sunset and rapid response vehicles by night, the service performs advanced medical interventions at the scene of the incident in life-threatening, time-critical situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland Ambulance Service</span> Ambulance service that serves the whole of Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service is an ambulance service that serves the whole of Northern Ireland, approximately 1.9 million people. As with other ambulance services in the United Kingdom, it does not charge its patients directly for its services, but instead receives funding through general taxation. It responds to medical emergencies in Northern Ireland with the 300-plus ambulance vehicles at its disposal. Its fleet includes mini-buses, ambulance officers' cars, support vehicles, RRVs and accident and emergency ambulances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Ambulance Service</span> Scotlands public ambulance services

The Scottish Ambulance Service is part of NHS Scotland, which serves all of Scotland's population. The Scottish Ambulance Service is governed by a special health board and is funded directly by the Health and Social Care Directorates of the Scottish Government.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is a dedicated helicopter emergency air ambulance for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It was established in October 2000, and currently operates two Airbus H145 aircraft. It is an independent charity that relies solely on the donations of individuals and organisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornwall Air Ambulance</span> English charity air ambulance

The Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust is a charity that provides a dedicated helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The service also has two critical care cars that operate when the helicopter is unable to fly. Together they attend about 1,100 incidents per year. As of December 2018, the helicopter service had flown over 28,000 missions since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance</span> English charity air ambulance

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a registered charity, which uses a helicopter to provide an air ambulance service to the English counties of Dorset and Somerset. The air ambulance came into service in March 2000, following the success of similar schemes, such as Devon Air Ambulance and Cornwall Air Ambulance. The air ambulance headquarters are at Wellington in Somerset, but the helicopter is based at Henstridge Airfield in Somerset.

Air ambulance services in the United Kingdom provide emergency medical functions, patient transport between specialist centres, or medical repatriation. Services are provided by a mixture of organisations, operating either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. All emergency air ambulance helicopters in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are operated by charities, while Scotland has one charity service in addition to its two NHS-funded helicopters. Fixed-wing air ambulances, used for patient transport, may be government or privately operated. Air ambulance helicopters are complemented by Coastguard SAR helicopters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Association for Immediate Care</span>

The British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) is an organisation which has the stated aim to encourage and aid the formation and extension of immediate care schemes. The British Association for Immediate Care was founded as a charity in 1977 and combines bringing people together who have an interest in pre-hospital immediate care with supporting and promoting regional and local immediate care schemes across the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlands Air Ambulance</span> English charity air ambulance

The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC), formerly County Air Ambulance, is a charity operating a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. It operates three aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Anglian Air Ambulance</span> English air ambulance charity

The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is an air ambulance providing Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) across the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. The appeal to fund the service was launched in the summer of 2000 by top jockey Frankie Dettori, who had been a casualty in a serious plane crash a couple of months earlier. When flying commenced in January 2001, the service was initially available only one day a week. The East Anglian Air Ambulance operates two helicopters, 365 days a year, from its bases at Cambridge Airport and Norwich Airport, covering over 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2) and a population of approximately 3.5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambulance Victoria</span>

Ambulance Victoria (AV), a Victorian agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in Victoria. Ambulance Victoria was formed on 1 July 2008 with the merger of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS), Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV), and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service (ADAS). Ambulance Victoria has undergone significant reform since 2008.

Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore, formerly Bond Air Services , is an operator of air ambulance, police, and offshore windfarm helicopters in the UK. Babcock operates a mixed fleet of light twin-engine helicopters custom designed to perform specific and specialised tasks. It operates from 17 bases around the UK. It has base maintenance facilities in Staverton and Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North West Air Ambulance</span> English charity air ambulance

North West Air Ambulance is the helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) that covers the North West England region, consisting of the counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance</span> English charity air ambulance

The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance is an air ambulance based across the A15 from RAF Waddington on HEMs Way. The Air Ambulance covers the administrative counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and the unitary authorities of Nottingham, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, England. The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance Charitable Trust is a registered charity that receives no government or NHS funding for its daily missions.

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) is a charity air ambulance service providing a free, life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wales Air Ambulance</span> Welsh charity air ambulance

The Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust, known as Wales Air Ambulance Charity (WAAC) or, is a charity air ambulance service providing a free, life-saving helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured in Wales. It is an independent charity that relies on charitable donations to supply and maintain a fleet of emergency aircraft and rapid response vehicles. The Charity's mission is to deliver lifesaving, advanced medical care to people across Wales, whenever and wherever they need it. Its vision is to improve the lives of patients and their families by being a world leader in advanced time-critical care.

The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) is a registered charity in the UK that runs two emergency air ambulances, the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA), and also operates the national Children's Air Ambulance, an emergency transfer service for seriously ill babies and children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance</span> Scottish charity air ambulance

Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) is a registered charity which assists the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) with emergency medical services through the provision of helicopter-based air ambulances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hinds (doctor)</span>

John Hinds was a Northern Irish doctor known for his contributions to prehospital care and high-speed motorcycle trauma medicine. He was a consultant anaesthetist and intensive care doctor at Craigavon Area Hospital in County Armagh.

References

  1. ↑ "CONTACT US – Air Ambulance NI".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Charity details: The Air Ambulance Northern Ireland". The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "Charity partner for north's air ambulance service confirmed". 23 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Air ambulance to be based at Belfast International Airport - BBC News". BBC News. 21 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Air Ambulance NI awards contract to Sloane Helicopters Ltd" . Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. ↑ "Feasibility Study on a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service HEMS for the Island of Ireland" (PDF). Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  7. ↑ {{cite news From 2013 the Trustees especially Rodney Connor and Ray Foran worked extremely hard to get this project off the ground. They held many meetings with officials from the Department of Health and produced a Business Plan which was submitted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. |url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/we-should-have-air-ambulance-like-rest-of-uk-says-crash-medic-31233356.html |title=We should have air ambulance like rest of UK, says crash medic |work=Belfast Telegraph |date=19 May 2015 |accessdate=27 October 2015}}
  8. ↑ Connolly, Marie-Louise (6 June 2015). "Northern Ireland air ambulance 'necessity, not luxury' says medic". BBC News.
  9. ↑ Breen, Suzanne (16 June 2015). "We need our own air ambulance or lives will be lost, North West 200 doctor urges Health Minister". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. ↑ Scott, Sarah (21 March 2016). "Dr John Hinds' dream for Northern Ireland to get air ambulance takes another step forward on his birthday". www.belfastlive.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Boy seriously injured in Castlewellan tractor incident - BBC News". BBC News. 22 July 2017.
  12. ↑ "NI air ambulance: Chancellor says £4m in banking fines will pay for service - BBC News". BBC News. 16 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.