Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are one of the few area’s of the country not to benefit from a dedicated Air Ambulance Service. Work is currently taking place to provide Air Ambulance cover for this area.

Air ambulances have become a relatively common sight in the UK over the past 10 years and air ambulance operations now cover most of England, Scotland and Wales. The introduction of air ambulances was encouraged by a national campaign in the 1990s, led by the Automobile Association which provided start-up funding for new operations and led to the uptake of air ambulances by most counties. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have to date relied on the Coastguard helicopter based at Lee-on-Solent for urgent inter-hospital transfers and pre-hospital care in remote or inaccessible areas. This helicopter is expensive to use, is limited in its availability, unable to travel out of the immediate area and unsuited for medivac work.

The benefit of dedicated air ambulance in support of primary and secondary ambulance missions has been recognised by most ambulance services in the UK. Over the past decade air ambulances have been introduced by most ambulance Trusts so that most of the UK is now covered by fixed wing or rotary systems. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are one of the few remaining areas without air ambulance cover.

Several recent publications have demonstrated the clinical benefits of air ambulance operations. Air ambulances may increase chances of survival for patients suffering multiple trauma, especially for those with blunt trauma. This improvement in survival is limited to those with severe, but survivable injuries; an important factor to be considered when tasking the helicopter. Children and patients with severe head injuries seem to have the greatest benefit from on-scene stabilisation and direct transfer to an appropriate hospital. The improvements in survival are determined by the level of clinical care provided by an air ambulance, with paramedics providing greater survival benefits compared with technicians and experienced doctors providing further survival advantages. Transportation of severely injured patients from the scene directly to hospitals able to provide definitive care is also associated with a reduction in mortality and morbidity. The reasons for this include reduced time from injury to definitive care, reduction in overall complication rate and a reduction in potentially preventable deaths. This reduction in morbidity and mortality can translate into significant financial saving for healthcare systems.

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance approached Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Services in 2002 to offer assistance with setup of a charity and fundraising support. At the same time the Air Ambulance Foundation (now disbanded) was awarded a Department of Health section 64 (s64) grant (approx £112,000) which was made available to the charity. The Strategic Health Authority and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Services have all expressed support for this project. Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Charity Board has agreed to allow their two fundraisers to oversee the setup of an air ambulance to cover Hampshire and the Isle of WIght. The charity was formed in October 2004 and using the s64 funding has employed an Operations Director and Project Support Officer to commence fundraising and set up of the necessary infrastructure. The charity hopes to raise sufficient funds to be able to offer the helicopter to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Services by summer 2006.

1. To assist Hampshire & Isle of Wight Ambulance Services in delivering an appropriate level of clinical care to patients with serious medical conditions or injuries from trauma.

2. To improve response times to patients with serious illnesses in more rural areas.

3. To reduce the time to definitive intervention by transporting the patient to the most appropriate hospital.

4. To transfer patients between hospitals where helicopter transfer provides benefit over transfer by land ambulance

5. To support UK major incidents.

6. To improve teaching and training in the pre-hospital management of serious illness or injury.

7. To improve pre-hospital care through audit and research.

The charity will fundraise to enable the provision of an air ambulance to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Services. A successful fundraising launch took place at Beaulieu Motor Museum on 25th October 2005 and marks the start of a campaign to raise £1,000,000 per annum. An Operations Committee, organised by the Ambulance Services will oversee the use of the helicopter.

The helicopter will fly with one doctor and one paramedic. It is hoped to base it initially at Southampton International Airport, although eventually on a rooftop helipad at Southampton General Hospital. Once fully established, the helicopter will fly during daylight hours, seven days per week. It is estimated that it will attend approximately 800-1000 serious medical and trauma incidents per annum, in addition to 50-60 inter hospital transfers from the Isle of Wight and further a field.

How can you help?

To raise funds for the new Air Ambulance a fundraising lottery has been set up. This is a weekly lottery which costs £1 per week. You can either pay via a standing order from your bank and any money you win will be paid directly into your account, or via some retail outlets or through the internet. The top prize each week is £500.