What we do
We provide pre-hospital emergency medical care to victims of serious injury. The types of injury we attend are:
A London’s Air Ambulance paramedic is based in the London Ambulance Service control room, monitoring the thousands of calls that pass through there everyday for injuries such as the above. He/She will then dispatch the London’s Air Ambulance team. We can also be called by any of the emergency services, such as the fire brigade or police. The London’s Air Ambulance doctors, supported by the paramedics, perform procedures and operations in the street which are normally only found in the hospital emergency department. Timing is of the essence for the types of injury London’s Air Ambulance attends. The patients have a critical one hour window in which to receive treatment to reduce disability or improve survival. This window is known as the ‘golden hour’ and allows treatment of patients that may not even survive the distance to hospital. Serious trauma or serious injury is the commonest cause of death for 1-55 year olds. The Helicopter
London’s Air Ambulance operates an MD902 Explorer twin engine helicopter, one of the most identifiable in the world. This is one of a new generation of aircraft chosen for its safety features which include no tail rotor, important in an urban environment. It has been specially adapted for its purpose, to enable patients to be treated to the standard of an intensive care unit in flight. The Rapid Response Cars
When the Helicopter is offline – either at night when it is too dangerous to land in London, or if there are dangerous weather conditions – the operation is supported by a rapid response car team which ensures 24 hour care to London. |
