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The North West Air Ambulance (NWAA)
is a unique regional medical air emergency service covering
Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside
and Cumbria.
Established in 1999, the NWAA is a registered charity
receiving no mainstream funding, yet it offers a vital
service seven days a week, 365 days a year across 5,500
square miles serving a residential population of seven
million.
Costing just over £1.3 million a year to maintain,
the NWAA covers all major motorway incidents, and areas
that have poor and restricted road access. On average
the NWAA is called out four times a day, rising up to
ten in the summer. Whilst the incidents vary greatly,
there are two over-riding factors for the NWAA’s
presence – either because time is extremely crucial
or where road access is limited.
The NWAA has a maximum flying time of ten minutes to
the nearest appropriate hospital anywhere in the region
and in the event of serious incidents it is this speed
with which medical care can be delivered that is crucial.
It is recognised that by receiving treatment at the
scene and arriving at the hospital with the “Golden
Hour”, the patient’s chances of survival
and speed of recovery are dramatically improved.
The NWAA ensures a very high standard of care is met,
whilst overcoming the problem of distance and congestion,
accessing most areas of the North West promptly, in
turn bringing highly qualified paramedics and sophisticated
equipment to the patient. All the crew are operational
ambulance staff who have received special additional
training in navigation, meteorology, principles of flight,
helicopter safety and helicopter evacuation training.
The Air Ambulance facilitates urgent hospital transfers
for critically ill and injured patients, particularly
those needing to travel long distances for emergency
surgery, for example those with severe head injuries.
Inter-hospital transfer for spinal injury is now routinely
undertaken by Air Ambulance.
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History of Katie
In December 2005 the North West Air Ambulance was able
to commission a brand new aircraft thanks to the executors
of the estate of the late Katie Caine from Thornton Cleveleys.
We launched an appeal in October 2004 as we needed to
raise an additional £500,000 to renew the air ambulance
and we were lucky to receive a phonecall stating that
we would be given the full amount needed.
Originally we set aside 18 months to raise the figure
and then a further 18 months before a new aircraft could
be commissioned, however, we received a telephone call
in early 2005 stating that and EC 135 airframe was in
the UK and if we would like it.
It is thanks to Katie’s trustees that North West
Air Ambulance was named ‘Katie’ in memory
of our benefactor. Katie is a faster and bigger, enabling
us to take a friend or relative of the patient, and can
reduce the flying times to the nearest A&E unit thus
giving the casualty a greater chance of survival and recovery.
Of course the new technology does come at a premium and
we continually fund raise to achieve enough funds to meet
£1.3 million each year to keep Katie airborne. |
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