The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity has said that they have attended a record number of incidents in Bath and North East Somerset during the first six months of 2019.
The service, which is charity funded, was called out to 86 missions across Bath and North East Somerset alone from the beginning of January to the end of June this year, a 16% increase on 2018.
The team have received 971 call-outs in total across the region they serve. If replicated, these figures will see it being the charity’s busiest year to date.
GWAAC’s Air Operations Officer, John Wood, said: “We continue to be extremely grateful to our loyal supporters whose generosity allows us to provide a critical care service to the people of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and the surrounding areas.
“We have seen a steady increase in the number of patients we have been able to help over the years and it’s only through the help and support of our local communities that we are able to respond to this increase in demand for our service.”
GWAAC’s Critical Care Team consists of a Critical Care Doctor, Specialist Paramedic and if flying, a highly trained and experienced Pilot, who are able to carry out life-saving interventions such as blood transfusions, administering anaesthetics and emergency surgical procedures, all at the scene of the incident.
The crew effectively bring the skills of an emergency department to the patient at the scene of an incident or medical emergency.
They have attended an average of 162 jobs a month across the region, providing their life-saving pre-hospital emergency medical care to an average of over 5 incidents a day.
The charity receives no day-to-day funding from the Government or National Lottery, relying on generous donations and support from their local community to raise the £3 million a year needed to keep providing their service to 2.1 million people across the region.
