North West Air Ambulance Charity launches campaign to extend its lifesaving service

The North West Air Ambulance Charity (NWAA) was called out to 94 missions in Greater Manchester last month – and a total of 1,132 across the county in the last 12 months.

To ensure the charity can continue its lifesaving care, it has launched a fundraising campaign to save more people’s lives across the region over the next 12 months – and in the years to come.

Leading the appeal to raise the £12 million a year it costs to run the service is Dr Ed – the doctor who saved young Henry’s life at the roadside after the toddler fell into the path of an oncoming car.

Henry, who was almost two at the time of the accident, had suffered multiple facial and skull fractures when the car ran over his head, and blood blocked his airways. When the helicopter crew and Consultant Doctor Ed arrived, they found him unresponsive.

Dr Ed said: “Every second counts in cases like this and, without our rapid response, Henry might not have pulled through.”

At the roadside, Dr Ed performed several emergency interventions, including a blood transfusion, an emergency anaesthetic and chest surgery so that Henry was stable enough to be transferred to hospital.”

Henry’s dad Rob, from Whitworth, said: “The air ambulance crew saved our little boy’s life. We will be eternally grateful for their service, skills and expertise in being able to act so quickly.”

Last year, the North West Air Ambulance Charity was called to a total of 2,834 lifesaving missions, including attending to 775 road traffic collisions, where the service brought the hospital to the patient.

Dr Ed said: “Without the North West Air Ambulance Charity, and its kind supporters Henry would possibly have died and his family torn apart.

 

 

“As costs continue to rise, it’s imperative that we raise the £12 million we need each year to provide the state-of-the-art service we pride ourselves on. We get no government funding, and we’re not part of the NHS, so we are turning to the general public who we serve and who value what we do.”

Dr Ed added: “Even the smallest donation will make a difference. With people’s donations, we can continue to be there for them and those closest to them, should they need us in an emergency.”

To help save even more lives, the North West Air Ambulance Charity has increased its crew cover to 12 hours a day. Within the next year, its night car service will operate seven days a week. Before the end of the year, the charity also plans to carry blood on all three helicopters and its critical care vehicles.

The charity is also establishing a patient after-care service with all of the North West trauma centres. The established working arrangement with Manchester Children’s Hospital was a key factor in Henry’s recovery.

Lifesaving examples of how generous donations could be spent are:

• £6 pays for a bougie – a device that guides a breathing tube into a patient’s airway – which initially helped save Henry’s life.
• £17 buys a one-litre portable oxygen canister to help someone with breathing difficulties.
• £25 pays for a warming blanket to regulate the temperature of a severe trauma patient.
• £100 is the cost of a surgical airway kit, crucial in life-threatening situations.
• £380 could supply a primary response bag, carrying vital medical equipment to treat major trauma patients.

To make a donation visit: nwairambulance.org.uk