Established in 1999 the North West Air Ambulance charity flies life saving missions throughout the North West region from its operational bases at Blackpool Airport and City Airport, Manchester.
Flying seven days a week, 365 days a year our vital life saving service covers 5,500 square miles and a residential population of seven million people yet we receive no central government or lottery funding. It costs nearly £4 million per year to maintain both aircraft, all of which is generously donated by members of the public.
The varied terrain of the North West region includes vast amounts of remote and rural land, housing many sparsely populated communities as well as being home to some of the busiest motorway infrastructure and two of the countries largest cities. The fast response provided by the North West Air Ambulance means patients involved in major trauma, especially with head or spinal injuries, can receive medical treatment quickly before being transferred to a specialist hospital in record time.
Both helicopters have a maximum flying time of ten minutes to the nearest appropriate hospital from any location in the region and it is this speed with which medical care can be delivered that is crucial.
It is recognised that by receiving treatment at the scene and arriving at hospital within the ‘Golden Hour’, the patient’s chances of survival and speed of recovery are dramatically improved.
The NWAA ensures a very high standard of care is met, whilst over coming the problem of distance, congestion, accessing most areas of the North West promptly, in turn bringing highly qualified paramedics and sophisticated equipment to the patient.
All medical crew are highly trained paramedics who have received specialist additional training in:
- Navigation
- Meteorology
- Helicopter safety & evacuation
- Aviation Law
- Flight safety & communication (CRM)
- Aircraft loading & unloading
- Scene management
The Air Ambulance facilitates urgent hospital transfers for critically ill or injured patients, particularly those needing to travel long distances for emergency surgery, for example those with severe head injuries. Inter-hospital transfer for spinal injuries is now routinely undertaken by Air Ambulance.
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