Essex & Herts Air Ambulance receives cash injection from Government

25th August 2020

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance receives cash injection from Government

Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is to receive £140,000 from the Government. The money is part of £6 million awarded to Air Ambulances UK for distribution to the 21 air ambulance charities on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The Government funding is an emergency injection of cash to help air ambulances cover the increased operational spending they have faced as a result of the additional activities undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pam Withrington, Fundraising and Marketing Director at EHAAT said, “We are pleased to receive this money from the Government during these uncertain times. It follows a period in which our crews have continued to provide a 24/7 life-saving service to the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and surrounding areas and gone above and beyond to support their NHS colleagues.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on our fundraising this year, with events and initiatives being cancelled or postponed because of the lockdown. In order to make up for an expected shortfall in donations of around £500,000, it is vital that we continue to raise funds to support our life-saving service, and this money will really help us to cover unbudgeted COVID-19 costs.”

In April EHAAT announced that the critical care team based at the charity’s Earls Colne airbase would be available to assist the NHS with the transfer of patients between hospitals. The team based at North Weald continued to provide vital care to the people and communities of Essex, Hertfordshire and surrounding areas by helicopter and rapid response vehicle.

In addition to supporting the need for urgent inter hospital transfers, the charity supported the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust at Basildon Hospital, Broomfield Hospital and Southend Hospital with the provision of a Pre-hospital Care Doctor from the EHAAT team, to assist with patient transfers between these three hospitals.

Also in April EHAAT’s Patient Liaison Managers were part of the Family Liaison Team at the temporary NHS London Nightingale Hospital, where they supported families affected by COVID-19 as well as carrying out their core EHAAT work.

£140,000 is a substantial grant, and the charity is very grateful to be receiving it as it will help to cover some of the unplanned pandemic costs. However, we take this opportunity to reach out to the people of Essex & Hertfordshire for their continued to support which is vital now more than ever to help keep their local life-saving charity operational.

To find out more about the charity’s work and how you can support it, visit ehaat.org or call 0345 2417 690. Thank you…we can’t fly without you!

-ENDS-

Photographs: Pre-hospital Care Doctor Chris King in PPE, Patient Liaison Managers Adam Carr and Tony Stone.

For more information please contact Gavin Sherriff, PR Officer, on 0345 2417 690.

Notes to Editor:

• Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is a Charity that provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.

• The service is provided free of charge but, unlike NHS emergency services, the Charity receives limited direct funding from the Government and none from the National Lottery. It costs in excess of £750,000 every month to keep the service operational and cover all charitable costs, and this would not be possible without the generosity and goodwill of people and businesses of Essex, Hertfordshire and beyond.

• Each of the Charity’s HEMS teams consist of two Pilots, a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic.

• These teams, made up of highly-skilled individuals, attended 1,526 patients in 2019 and are the backbone of your local life-saving Charity.

• The fleet consists of two Air Ambulances, and four rapid response vehicles (RRVs - cars) The RRVs are crewed by a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic and carry the same life-saving equipment as the helicopters.

• During the day, from 7am until 8.00pm, the Critical Care Team provides the service using helicopters based at Earls Colne and North Weald. An RRV is used before sunrise, after sunset or when the helicopter is unable to fly because of poor weather or maintenance.

• Overnight from 7.30pm to 7.30am the service is provided using an RRV based at North Weald.

• Air Ambulances UK is the national organisation representing, supporting and advocating the lifesaving work of the UK’s 21 air ambulance charities and wider air ambulance sector.