Air ambulance services in the United Kingdom explained

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.

History

The first air ambulance services in the UK commenced in Scotland in November 1933, with a flight from Wideford Airport, Kirkwall, Orkney. The first night time ambulance flight was undertaken in February 1939, from Wideford to the island of Sanday, using car headlights to help take off and landing. The aircraft used was a General Aircraft Monospar, registration G-ACEW, operated by Highland Airways.

The first air ambulance charity to operate a helicopter was Cornwall Air Ambulance in 1987.^[1] There are now 21 air ambulance charities in the UK.^[2]

Emergency air ambulances

Emergency air ambulances are generally helicopter based, and used to respond to medical emergencies in support of local ambulance services. In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, all of these services are charitably funded, and either directly owned by the charity, or operated under contract with a private provider.^[3] The ambulance staff and doctors crewing these flights are generally seconded from the local NHS ambulance service and NHS hospitals. In Scotland, there is the only publicly-funded air ambulance service, with the Scottish Ambulance Service operating two Airbus Helicopters H145 helicopters and two fixed wing aircraft in this role, alongside two charity-funded Eurocopter EC135 helicopters, operated by Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance.

Organisation	Aircraft	Registration	Photograph
Cornwall Air Ambulance		AW169^[4]	G-CRWL^[5]
	AW109SP	G-KRNO
The Air Ambulance Service	AW109SP	G-DRLA
	AW109SP	G-WNAS
	2 x AW169	G-NICU
		G-CPTZ
Devon Air Ambulance	H145	G-DAAS^[6]
	EC135	G-DAAN
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance	AW169	G-DSAA
East Anglian Air Ambulance	2 x H145	G-RESU
		G-HEMC
Essex & Herts Air Ambulance	MD 902	G-EHEM
	AW169	G-HHEM
Great North Air Ambulance^[7]	AS365 N2	G-NHAC
	AS365 N3+	G-NHAD
	AS365 N3	G-NHAE
Great Western Air Ambulance	EC135	G-GWAC
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance	H135	G-HIOW
Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex	3 x AW169	G-KSST
		G-KSSC
		G-LNAC
	MD 902	G-KSSA
Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance	AW169	G-LNCC
London's Air Ambulance	2 x MD 902 (One spare)	G-EHMS
		G-LNDN
Magpas Air Ambulance	AW169	G-MGPS
Midlands Air Ambulance	H145	G-RMAA
	2 x EC135	G-OMAA
		G-HWAA
North West Air Ambulance	3 x EC135	G-NWAA
		G-NWAE
		G-NWEM
Northern Ireland Air Ambulance	2 x AW109SP	G-HEMZ
		G-RSCU
Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance	2 x EC135	G-SCAA
		G-EMAA
Scottish Air Ambulance	2 x H145	G-ISAS
		G-GSAS
	2 x King Air 200C	G-SASC
		G-SASD
Thames Valley Air Ambulance	EC135	G-TVLY^[8]
Wales Air Ambulance and Children's Wales Air Ambulance	4 x H145	G-WENU
		G-WOBR
		G-WROL
		G-LOYW^[9]
Wiltshire Air Ambulance	Bell 429	G-WLTS
Yorkshire Air Ambulance	2 x H145 D3	G-YORX^[10]
		G-YAAA^[11]

Patient transport operations

There are also a number of public and private patient transport operations in the UK, generally using fixed wing aircraft, and which are part of a system of moving patients between points of care, or as part of a repatriation to the UK. SkyAngels Air Ambulance charity, flying out of Norwich International Airport [NWI], is a dedicated patient air transfer service with one helicopter and a number of fixed-winged aircraft under contracts to provide a service to the NHS.^[12] There is a helicopter based patient transfer service, focused on paediatric cases, called the Children's Air Ambulance, which first flew in 2012.^[13]

The Scottish Ambulance Service operates two fixed wing aircraft in this role, with patients flown to the mainland UK for treatment.^[14] In 2015, the neonatal, paediatric and adult emergency care and retrieval operations were brought together with the Scottish Ambulance Service and utilise the aircraft and road ambulances for this purpose. They are co-located at the Scottish Ambulance Air Base at Glasgow International Airport.

The Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Care operates a fixed-wing air ambulance for patient transport between the island and mainland hospitals.^[15]

The Channel Islands of Guernsey and Jersey have a Beechcraft King Air B200 air ambulance, operated by Gama Aviation since July 2020, that transports patients to England for treatment that they cannot receive on the islands.^[16] In Jersey this is coordinated by the Jersey Emergency Transport Service (JETS).^[17] In addition, Aurigny operate a medical evacuation service from Alderney to Guernsey.^[16]

Notable accidents involving air ambulances

• On 19 May 1996, a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft operated by Loganair for the Scottish Ambulance Service crashed short of the runway at Lerwick/Tingwall Airport in Shetland while turning to final approach at night during strong and gusting winds. The pilot was killed, and the physician and flight nurse were injured. There was no patient on board at the time.^[18]
• On 26 July 1998, the three man crew of the Kent Air Ambulance died when the aircraft collided with power lines and crashed in a field in Burham, near Rochester Airport.^{[19] [20]} Initial investigation established no definitive cause for the crash, due to the fireball produced on impact. Controversy ensued when the pilot's employers, Police Aviation Services, denied liability. On 19 February 2004, following a civil case brought by the pilot's widow to the High Court in Manchester, it ruled that the crash was caused by mechanical failure, not as suggested flying low for fun, and ordered compensation to be paid.^[21]
• On 14 June 2000, four passengers and one pilot were killed when a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, chartered for a medical transfer from the Isle of Man, crashed on approach to Liverpool Airport.^[22]
• On 15 March 2005, a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft operated by Loganair crashed into the sea while descending toward Campbeltown Airport in western Scotland. The aircraft was operating an air ambulance flight on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service. The pilot and paramedic both died in the crash.^[23]

See also

• Police aviation in the United Kingdom
• Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom
• Motorcycle ambulance

External links

• Air Ambulances UK

Notes and References

1. News: 2022-04-01 . Cornwall Air Ambulance marks 35 years of saving lives . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-12-15.
2. Web site: About us . Air Ambulances UK . 14 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230701181816/https://www.airambulancesuk.org/about-us/ . 1 July 2023 . Air Ambulances UK is the national organisation championing and supporting the lifesaving work of the UK’s 21 air ambulance charities..
3. Web site: Amazing Facts about your Air Ambulance . Association of Air Ambulances . 26 July 2009.
4. Web site: Cornwall Air Ambulance expects new AW169 will save time & lives. Caygill. Greg. Vertical Magazine. en-US. 2020-05-07.
5. Web site: Cornwall Air Ambulance gives first glimpse of highly anticipated helicopter. 2019-09-05. Cornwall Air Ambulance. en-GB. 2020-05-06.
6. Web site: The sky's the limit . 2022-12-15 . Devon Air Ambulance Trust . en.
7. Web site: The helicopters . Great North Air Ambulance Service . 12 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230525054110/https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/our-work/what-we-do/the-helicopters . 25 May 2023.
8. Web site: Manivannan . Hari . 2022-10-06 . MEET G-TVLY, OUR NEW HELICOPTER . 2022-12-15 . Thames Valley Air Ambulance . en-GB.
9. News: Wales chooses name for new Charity Air Ambulance . Wales Air Ambulance . 7 September 2023 . 10 April 2024.
10. News: Reaching new heights: Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity is set to unveil new helicopter at its base in Wakefield . Wakefield Express . Kara . McKune . 6 June 2023 . 2 July 2023.
11. Web site: Yorkshire Air Ambulance Unveils its new helicopter G-YAAA . 20 March 2023 . Yorkshire Air Ambulance . 2 July 2023.
12. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23768117.skyangels-air-ambulance-adding-350k-flying-car-fleet
13. News: Express and Echo. 18 December 2012. The Children's Air Ambulance. 1 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150619120314/http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Children-s-Air-Ambulance/story-17619843-detail/story.html#axzz2UmDzoZT4. 19 June 2015. dead.
14. News: BBC News. New air ambulance for NI after flight ordeal.
15. Web site: Air Ambulance . 19 December 2020 . Isle of Man Government.
16. News: Channel Islands air ambulance changes provider . BBC News . 20 July 2020 . 6 January 2021.
17. Stewart . Alexander Michael . McNay . Ryan . Thomas . Ranji . Mitchell . Andrew R. J. . 2011-04-01 . Early aeromedical transfer after acute coronary syndromes . Emergency Medicine Journal . en . 28 . 4 . 325–327 . 10.1136/emj.2009.089441 . 1472-0205 . 20581380.
18. Web site: Air Accidents Investigation Branch. BN2A-26 Islander, G-BEDZ, 19 May 1996. GOV.UK. Department for Transport, Air Accidents Investigation Branch. 31 December 2015.
19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/139680.stm Helicopter crash kills three
20. Web site: AAIB Bulletin No: 2/2000 . http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090316072639/http%3A//www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/dft_avsafety_pdf_500724.pdf . dead . 16 March 2009 . . 5 July 2009 .
21. News: Air ambulance crash pilot cleared . BBC News . 19 February 2004.
22. Web site: Piper PA-31-350, G-BMBC. . 27 July 2013.
23. Web site: Air crew search called off . BBC News . 15 March 2005.