We are also confident that our fundraising is carried out in a responsible manner – we have invested resources to ensure our database of supporters is accurate and that we comply fully with data protection requirements. National media has recently highlighted poor fundraising practise and this has made us even more determined to make our processes transparent. We are delighted to welcome Major General Sir William Cubitt, who will succeed Andrew Egerton-Smith, the Charity’s founder, in the role of Chairman in December 2015.
Over the last year to June 2015 the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) has made mighty strides towards realising its ambitious vision for pre-hospital care across the region – simply, doing the very best for every patient we attend. Progress has been made in every aspect of our work, and can be seen throughout this document through living our values: Innovation, Community, Passion, Quality, and Accountability. • Innovation is what keeps us at the forefront of clinical practice and operational excellence. • Community refers to our commitment to our hundreds of local supporters and our work with our partner emergency services. • Passion animates all our values, as there is a deep and personal conviction that what we do is vitally important.
• Quality means holding ourselves to the highest standards, not only clinically and operationally, but in all our work: from how we raise money to how we communicate our aims and achievements. • Accountability is about constantly reviewing our procedures, to make sure that everything we do is done as well as it can be, and that every penny we spend is put to the best and most effective purpose.
Sir William, of the Honing Estate in North Norfolk, is a former senior British Army officer with a broad experience of command, operations and administration, culminating in his appointment as General Officer Commanding London District before his retirement in 2011. We would also like to offer special and heartfelt thanks to all our staff and crews who work tirelessly to bring this much-valued service to people in their greatest moment of need.
And to those who have helped to make the first half of our 15th anniversary year such a great success, thank you.
Andrew Egerton Smith
Patrick Peal
Chairman
Chief Executive
It has been an exciting and extremely busy year for our Operations team. April saw the arrival of a new helicopter; much larger than its predecessor the EC135, the H145 can carry enough fuel to fly for over two hours, with a range of 300 nautical miles (335 miles).
Extending the reach and effectiveness of the EAAA medical teams enables the charity to play a leading role in training the next generation of pre-hospital clinicians. More space also means that more can be done to help patients during the transfer process. This larger aircraft can carry up to seven people, including patient, pilots and crew. The H145 is a two-pilot operation which allows the clinical crew to fully focus on the care of the patient. In the EC135, the paramedic assists the pilot with communications and navigation during flight. This fundamental change took much preparation, with the appointment and training of six new pilots during the year, resulting in a team of eight regular pilots. This team delivers the Cambridge operation over two shifts, spanning 17 hours every single day of the year.
The H145 is fitted with a rearloading stretcher and wheeled trolley system made by Aerolite. This delivers greater operational flexibility and reduces the need for manual lifting upon arrival at hospital. This in turn reduces the time spent on scene and speeds patient transport to hospital. The stretcher has an equipment bridge which holds a ventilator, monitor, oxygen bottle and syringe drivers. These are connected to the patient at scene and remain in position until handover in hospital. The patient is now placed in a ‘blizzard blanket’ within a ‘Roc Snake’ thermal bag, which facilitates patient movement and helps the patient retain heat. All these new features augment patient safety and wellbeing and contribute to faster scene times.
‘The generosity of our supporters allows us to carry the most modern equipment; providing the best care for our patients’ EAAA Medical Director
On 6 October 2014 Clive and his wife Sheila had nearly finished stripping the wallpaper in their new bungalow.
The kitchen was the last room, and they were on the last wall with Clive and Sheila each using semipressurised industrial steam cleaners. The paddle on Clive’s machine started to gurgle, suggesting it was out of water, so he opened the radiator cap on the machine he thought his paddle was attached to, but it was the wrong machine. The pressurised steam within burst out and hit him in the face, arms and torso. Luckily he was wearing glasses and gloves, so his hands and eyes were protected.
It was raining outside so Clive took his t-shirt off and went and stood in the rain to cool down. Sheila started to wet towels with cold water and put them on Clive’s skin. The towel was warm almost as soon as it touched him. New to the community, they didn’t know the location of the nearest hospital, so they went next door and asked the neighbour, who called for an ambulance. As they waited for the ambulance Sheila kept Clive supplied with cold wet towels. When Clive’s skin started to come away on the towels he realised it was more serious than he initially thought.
‘Clive couldn’t have had better care. Everyone did everything they could to help Clive. Thank you to all.’ Sheila, Clive’s wife
Anglia One, with Dr Vicky Smith and critical care paramedic Neil Flowers on board, landed in the field behind their new home shortly after the arrival of the ambulance land crew. They quickly established that Clive had lost a lot of fluid and they needed to get him hydrated fast. After some effort they managed to get a line in and started to pump fluid into him, as well as pain relief. Clive’s neck was swelling, and with the fear that he had inhaled some steam it was time to get him to hospital. Because Clive was so cold from shock, and the helicopter was several hundred meters away, the decision was taken to travel by road, with the EAAA doctor and CCP accompanying him. Assessment at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital established that Clive had a larger spread of burn than they were set up to deal with, so he was taken to the emergency theatre at Broomfield Hospital. A specialist burns doctor started to scrape what had now become a covering of small blisters on Clive’s torso – a procedure which may well have saved his skin.
Thankfully, Clive had to spend just a few days in the hospital. He was discharged with a course of creams and ointments which he duly applied, and within weeks he was starting to feel much better. Now, all he has to show for the accident are a few pink and white marks on his torso, and orders to stay out of the sun for the next few years while his skin fully heals; and with the rest of the bungalow to finish that shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Both Clive and Sheila believe that the quality of care and attention he received from the moment of his accident to his hospital treatment all contributed to saving Clive’s skin. They believe his care and treatment at every step was first class and are truly grateful to every person in the chain who helped him, from the 999 call to Clive’s discharge.
Thank you all: Our community fundraising teams are truly indebted to you for your tireless support, wonderful enthusiasm and extraordinary fundraising ideas. Together we save lives
Our community fundraising teams based across East Anglia have been delighted, humbled and truly amazed at the variety and originality demonstrated by our supporters in their tireless fundraising for EAAA. 2014-15 was the year of the Ball, and how we loved all the glitter, sparkles and celebrations at each event. Our North Cambridgeshire team organised a Swing Ball in September, with help from the Peterborough Minster Rotary. More than 200 people danced their way to raising over £6,500, helped by celebrity auctioneer David Palmer. Staff at Ipswich-based Fred Olsen handed over a cheque for over £4,000 from their summer ball and Christmas craft fair.
The South Cambridgeshire team organised a Twilight Ball where a sparkling night ended in the raffle of diamond, raising over £3,500. And an emotional Save the Date Ball was hosted by Teresa Davies in memory of her husband Tim who was attended by EAAA; she was immensely proud that her hard work raised over £3,500 in one evening.
The sparkles and glamour continued when Luton Airport-based holiday company TUI arranged a “Thomson Goes Strictly” evening. Dancers from the popular TV show were on hand to show the TUI crew how it should be done, and over £5,000 was raised. Challenge events were another huge source of inspiration this year. Large numbers of supporters across East Anglia took to their bikes, completing such diverse challenges as the gruelling 400 mile Lap of Anglia, and the family-focussed Ride for your Lives at Ferry Meadows in Cambridgeshire. The Rotary Club of Beccles donated all funds raised from its annual Cycle for Life event and the Icknield Road Club raised over £4,000 in May as participants completed a 15, 45 or 70 mile cycle race. Other noteworthy communitybased events included the fifth year of Sylehambury – an all-day music extravaganza featuring local bands,
a barbeque and homemade cakes, which raised over £16,000. In June, despite an appalling downpour, a hog-roast hosted by Bedfordshire Rotary member Christopher Kilroy raised over £14,000. Weather also featured at the Halesworth Golf Club Annual Charity Day: rain stopped play before all rounds were completed, but entry fees, a raffle and silent auction helped to boost the fund. An incredible £110,000 has been raised at this event over the years. We’ve also been very grateful to receive funds from an Open Day held at Ferry Meadows in Peterborough, an exclusive Gift Fair at Ufford Park and a Model Railway Exhibition in Southwold. For culture lovers, Culford School in Bury St Edmunds donated funds from their annual Opera in the Park event in June – Bizet’s Carmen was performed by the internationally acclaimed London Festival Opera, raising nearly £1,500.
On 28 September, over 150 volunteers came to the Elveden walled garden to celebrate the work they have done and its benefit to EAAA. Our guests enjoyed a delicious lunch provided by Food Amour and afternoon tea – with hundreds of beautiful cakes baked by the volunteers themselves! After lunch, Long Service Awards were presented to our much valued volunteers receiving badges for two, five, and ten years’ service. Our generous host of the day, Lord Iveagh welcomed our guests to this special event. Our Chief Executive
Patrick Peal, Medical Director Alastair Wilson, Aviation Adviser Gerry Hermer, former Trustee David Barker, and former patient James Piercy all gave fascinating talks ranging from flying the helicopter to being treated as a roadside patient. The event was filmed by volunteer filmmaker Anna Allen and photos were taken by volunteer photographer Glyn Collins, both are available on our website. Anglia One and Anglia Two also attended inbetween missions.
We rely on our teams of committed volunteers who provide support in so many ways and in some cases, for so many years. The Old Rectory Lane team based in Suffolk have supported EAAA since 2002, organising fundraising events as well as volunteering regularly. Their fundraising efforts have raised a staggering £21,000 over the years. And over 60 volunteers across Suffolk ensure that we are well represented at local events. New volunteers are receiving training to make presentations on our behalf.
The day-to-day volunteer task of looking after our thousands of collection boxes stationed across the region has seen some fantastic results this year: in South Cambridgeshire alone, over £7,000 has been banked, with nearly 150 boxes collected and replaced as well as boxes placed in new locations. Some volunteer groups set themselves up as committees: in Stotfold, Mrs Bridgett Smith brought together a team of nine ladies who worked tirelessly over the last year, running tombola stores, car boot sales and even an American-themed line dancing event.
“A huge thank you to all our volunteers and their partners for their dedication and commitment to the charity. Together, we save lives.” Patrick Peal, Chief Executive
“Volunteer! It’s a fantastic way to support your local community, make friends and have fun at the same time!” Sarah Hurren, Volunteer Manager
Our partnerships with national, regional and local organisations have become embedded over the past 12 months. Many trucks and trailers now carry our “Proud to Support” signs, as well as Local Agent Network Estate Agents in Luton, who have added our logo to each of their ‘For Sale’ boards. Some freight companies have extended their support and are now providing advertising space on the back of trailers with details of volunteer opportunities, forthcoming events and our lottery. Sightings have been reported as far away as Cambodia! Our thanks go to Kersey Freight Ltd, Frimstone Ltd, Nidera, Ridgeon’s, Turners of Soham and Norse as well as the Fire and Rescue Services in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire who continue to display our signs on all their appliances.
Staff from national organisations such as Tesco, John Lewis and Waitrose have also chosen to support EAAA, demonstrating again that community spirit is alive and well throughout East Anglia. A number of employees from the John Lewis Distribution Centre in Norwich took part in the Three Peaks Challenge and together with other fundraising events over the year have raised over £1,800. Waitrose in Norwich chose EAAA as a beneficiary from their Partners Day in June and raised over £1,000. We would like to say a special thank you to South Lee School who give their brand new sports pavilion and field for our training days allowing both helicopters and crew to attend.
In South Cambridgeshire, G’s Fresh have supported EAAA for the last 10 years: in-house and external events, including the ever-popular annual Open Farm Sunday event have raised nearly £60,000 during that time. Employees at Cambridge Building Society also chose EAAA as their nominated charity and raised almost £2,000 in one month alone. Their support continued when we were chosen as one of the 15 charities to take part in the joint Cash for the Community Awards. This time, members of the general public collected newspaper tokens, and we were delighted to receive over £2,500. This was the largest sum awarded to any of the nominated charities, and reflects just how much support we receive from the local community. We are enomously grateful to the NFU in Newmarket for providing us meeting rooms at no charge.
Savills of Cambridge have chosen us as their Charity of the Year for the third year, and the company matched individual sponsorship raised by 10 sky diving employees, raising a grand total of £2,270. Accountants and solicitors across the region are regular supporters of EAAA. Greenwoods Solicitors based in Peterborough ended a year of support with a cheque presentation for £4,000. Corporate partners Fraser Dawbarns Solicitors hosted a ball and a golf day and staff from offices in Wisbech and Kings Lynn handed over a cheque for the amazing sum of £5,500. A new initiative in Bedfordshire has raised nearly £6,000 in 2014 alone. The Mall in Luton formed a Charitable Partnership with EAAA, which has now been extended to 2017. As well as providing a venue for fundraising activities, the Mall also allows us an excellent opportunity to engage with communities within Luton, raising awareness of the service we provide in the west of our region.
Such support from so many sectors reflects the diverse character of our region. From hi-tech companies such as Magdalene Ltd of St Ives, Cambridge Consultants and The Technology Partnership based in Melbourn, to freight and haulage companies, farmers, estate agents and supermarkets – big and small, you have taken us to your hearts and we thank you all!
Every year, we are humbled by the originality of your fundraising and the offers from volunteers to organise and run a huge variety of events.
Our fifteenth anniversary is a good opportunity to stand back and wonder at the depth of conviction and passion which our charity continues to enjoy from its many supporters. Such dedication was seen when a group of four friends took part in the Screwball Rally challenge in September 2014. Gary Warren, Tony Gardiner, Tim Clay and Rob Guy took an old Mercedes estate car, costing just £300, and transformed it into Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They then joined 100 other racers on a 2,300 mile journey, travelling from Dunkirk through Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic, before crossing the finishing line in Hanover, Germany. With support from the local fundraising teams, as well as local and national sponsorship the team doubled their original target and raised over £16,500. The support from companies including TruckEast Ltd, Hall Contracts Ltd, Comm-Tech Voice and Data, InTouch Systems Ltd, Chassis Cab Ltd, Abbey Tyre Ltd and Grays Surfacing Ltd, meant the team received the Best Fundraiser Award for the event. In fact, no-one has ever raised as much money as the EAAA team!
‘The work you did for my family leaves me forever in your debt. You gave me the gift of time with David, thank you.’
Some volunteers have shown truly outstanding commitment to EAAA since the very start; the Bullock Fair Charity shop has been an institution in Harleston, Norfolk for 15 years. Run by a group of dedicated volunteers, four sites across the village accept donated items, and all proceeds are split between EAAA and EACH. This results in an amazing annual donation of £80,000. A squadron of Air Cadets from Bedfordshire has also taken EAAA to heart: as well as naming us as their Squadron Charity for 2015, a group of eighteen air cadets took on the challenge of a sponsored night walk. Setting off in the early hours, the cadets hiked through open countryside, some took the arduous 26 mile red route, and others took the 16 mile blue route.
The screwball rally team
Flight Sergeant James Tye said “This is a physically and mentally challenging walk, but the cadets showed their grit and determination in completing it. The Squadron has raised much-needed money for an important and local charity”. Air cadets – we salute and thank you for your dedication and commitment to supporting EAAA.
We hear from so many people who have benefited from the service our crew provide, people for whom this is so much more than ‘just a job’, as indeed it is for all our staff. Doctors and paramedics respond readily to requests to attend events, choosing to volunteer on precious off-duty days, knowing the impact their stories can have for raising awareness and funds.
Cambridgeshire 400 Suffolk 262
Bedfordshire 98
Herfordshire 88
18
10
9
7 Jun 15
5 May 15
Apr 15
Mar 15
5 Feb 15
• The Spurrell Charitable Trust
9
Jan 15
• The Wixamtree Trust
8
9
17 13
Dec 14
• The Gale Family Charity Trust
16
Night Missions
Jul 14
• The Kip and Alison Bertram Charitable Trust
Out of area 14
Total 1791 Essex 124
The trusts that have supported us this year include: • The Annie Tranmer Charitable Trust
Herfordshire 88 Other 152
Nov 14
Successful applications have meant that we were able to buy portable i-STAT blood analysers, allowing our clinical team to make faster diagnosis at scene, as well as a contribution towards an Oxylog 3000+. This is vital when we are tasked to help very sick patients who are having problems breathing on their own and when doctors make the decision to intubate, the Oxylog provides feedback on the correctness of intubation and the effectiveness of the ventilation process. Donations from trusts have also funded our very successful medical student placement programme.
Cambridgeshire 400
Bedfordshire 98
Oct 14
Applications to trusts help us to buy the most effective and up to date emergency medical equipment.
Norfolk 653
Essex 124
Sept 14
This means we can measure performance, collaborate and continually improve our fundraising, air operations and clinical performance. We now proudly display the FRSB Give With Confidence logo, helping to build public trust and give confidence that the best possible care is being delivered through a professional and ethical charity. We are also delighted that a number of grant making trusts across the region elect to support EAAA. The Care Quality Commission inspects both the Cambridge and Norwich bases regularly to ensure the charity continues to meet the very highest standards.
Norfolk 653
Suffolk 262
Aug 14
We are heavily monitored and measured by a range of bodies including the Care Quality Commission, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Gambling Commission and the Fundraising Standards Board.
Missions July 2014–June 2015
As EAAA has grown over the years, so too has the quality of our service. Quality is a driving force in initiatives such as carrying doctors onboard, and procuring state of the art helicopters. Feedback is used to review, assess and improve our service. In August 2014, EAAA recruited a Patient Liaison Officer to work with our patients and seek their feedback. A survey of patients during the first six months of 2015 revealed that of the 68% of those who were able to respond, only one patient was not satisfied with the level of service they received. Although the numbers involved were small, comments from former patients provide a useful insight into the quality of our care.
For many patients, their physical recovery can be easier than the psychological impact which can take longer to come to terms with. Meeting the crew who were at the scene can provide an opportunity to ask questions about what actually happened, and feedback from these patients and families has been extremely useful. The charity also introduced a medical elective programme in 2014 for medical students. This provides an opportunity for students to gain first-hand helicopter emergency medicine (HEMS) experience at an early stage in their studies and in return, an enthusiastic group of next-generation doctors undertake valuable audits and data reviews for our clinical and operations teams.
We have reviewed and improved processes across all areas of the charity, including: • Review of insurance provision • Introduction of a fleet of charity vehicles to reduce travel costs • Implementation of an incident reporting system to reduce and learn from incidents
The following charts give an overview of the charity’s General Fund income and expenditure in the financial year to 30 June 2015. Legacies* £1,228k
Other £342k Events £857k
Donations, grants & collections £1,504k
INCOME TOTAL £7,337k
Fundraising & administration £1,359k Lottery & raffle** £3,406k
• Introduction of HEMSbase – a medical database which captures incident data at scene
Helicopter operational & medical costs £5,295k
• Construction of a database to meet and evidence all CQC requirements • Completion of audit and review of IT equipment
The above summary has been extracted from the audited accounts for the year ended 30 June 2015.
Jo Cartwright, Patient Liaison Officer
Jilly Hurley and Jo Cartwright with patient baby Elizabeth
Governance costs £60k
The full annual accounts, the Trustees Report and the audit report can be obtained from the Charity Commission website www.charitycommission.gov.uk or from the Charity’s registered office.
EXPENDITURE TOTAL £6,714k
*Total legacy income for the year amounted to £1,637k of which 75% (£1,228k) has been credited to the General Fund and 25% (£409k) has been allocated to a Special Projects and Capital Development (Designated) Fund. ** Net of expenses
We are enormously appreciative of the support from our loyal lottery players. Each weekly contribution really does make a difference and has helped generate millions of pounds for the charity. Without your continued support, it would be very difficult for us to maintain our service. We are regulated by the Gambling Commission and meet, and aim to exceed, the standards set out for both our lottery and raffle. We are confident that the policies we have in place comply with the high standards we have set ourselves. Our lottery canvassers are trained and we take our community responsibility very seriously, ensuring that we regularly review our lottery membership.
Supporting our lottery is one of the most sustainable ways to keep us flying and saving lives. Our lottery pays out 18 main cash prizes every week, including a jackpot of £1,000, and our accumulator prize rises by £500 each week to a maximum of £25,000.
Our lottery membership grew by over 11,000 to 30 June 2015, and the income generated from the lottery totalled £4,328,357, an increase of nearly £600,000 on the previous year. Income from our two raffles almost doubled to nearly £350,000 – an amazing and unexpected increase for which we are truly grateful.
‘A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE’ Suffolk Norfolk Life Magazine – October 2014
‘EAAA UNVEILS AIRCRAFT THAT WILL BE PILOTED BY PRINCE WILLIAM’
‘WHY CPR COULD BE THE PERFECT ACT OF LOVE, SAYS JILLY HURLEY’ Cambridge News – 17th February 2015
Anglia News (ITV) – 22 April 2015 nd
‘CONFIRMED: DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE WILL JOIN EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE AS PILOT NEXT SPRING’
‘OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE HELICOPTER HEROES’ Norfolk Magazine – June 2015
Eastern Daily Press – 7th August 2014
‘THE REMARKABLE RISE OF THE EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE’ Peterborough Telegraph – 1st June 2015
‘WITHOUT EAAA I WOULDN’T BE HERE’ Cambridge News – 27th May 2015
‘EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE LIFE-SAVERS STILL FLYING HIGH AFTER 15 YEARS’ Bedfordshire on Sunday – 3rd January 2015
‘FLYING DOCTOR ON CALL FOR EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE’ Bury Free Press – 26th December 2014
‘EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE’S FLYING DOCTORS MARK 15 YEARS OF SAVING LIVES’ Ipswich Star – 15th May 2015
‘WYMONDHAM MUM’S EMOTIONAL THANK YOU TO PARAMEDICS WHO SAVED HER ONE-YEAR-OLD’S LIFE’ Eastern Daily Times – 11th March 2015
‘NEW HELICOPTER FOR EAAA’ BBC News – 18th March 2015
‘JILLY HURLEY, PR MANAGER AT EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE, TALKS TO DR ED GOLD ABOUT WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES’ Cambridge News – 21st October 2014
We hope the information, stories and pictures in our annual review have shown you how we have taken significant steps to future-proof the essential service we provide to the people of East Anglia, improving and innovating across all areas. Our decision to operate two identical H145 helicopters means we can deliver the same level of service to everyone in our region. The year ahead will see an increased focus on research to fully evaluate the impact of our interventions on scene. In particular, the spotlight will be on reducing time at every stage of our process; trauma is a disease of time, and every minute counts.
We will be working with partners within the emergency services and with local hospitals to encourage the establishment of lit helipads outside of each trauma unit – focusing again on the effort to save precious minutes for our patients. We have also undertaken a programme to upgrade our clinical accommodation at both bases in Norwich and Cambridge allowing our crews improved access to appropriate training and debriefing facilities, and to meet the stringent requirements of our regulators, the CQC and CAA* . We hope this will be a good year for you too, and that you continue to support East Anglian Air Ambulance – together we save lives.
*Care Quality Commission and Civil Aviation Authority
www.eaaa.org.uk Tel: 08450 669 999 Facebook: East Anglian Air Ambulance Charity Twitter: @EastAngliAirAmb Pinterest: East Anglian Air Ambulance YouTube: eaairambulance Registered Office: East Anglian Air Ambulance, Hangar E, Gambling Close, Norwich, NR6 6EG Charity No: 1083876
“I just wanted to say thank you to all involved in my treatment, both land crews and air ambulance.� Anaphylaxis patient, Norfolk