Clinical and operations

CLINICAL & OPERATIONS

Clinical

With the world opening up again, we can engage more easily with external stakeholders. We can welcome guests once again to the bases, including patients and family, and guest speakers for our D&D days.

We have also been able to re-introduce elective placements for medical students, potentially enabling us to begin the process of creating the next generation of HEMS doctors. All of this whilst launching the Centre for Excellence, which will allow the research and development of prehospital care through innovative techniques, support, and training for first responders. In doing so, we will be maximising the utilisation of the state of the art training facilities available at our North Weald airbase while seeking to build a reputation as a leading international training centre in Pre-hospital Care for trauma, medical, and cardiac, which will benefit patients not only in Essex and Hertfordshire but globally.

Cardiac arrest is a clinical domain within the Centre for Excellence. Our vision is that as part of the Centre for Excellence, CPR and defibrillation training will be rolled out, alongside other life-saving first aid techniques, to charity staff, volunteers, supporters, and schools to equip young people with a life-saving skill.

Operations

While we operate a 24-hour service, we can currently only fly during daylight hours, the hours of darkness being covered by our RRVs. This means we cannot accept a mission in a helicopter when it is dark. We are working with our operator to agree on a programme of training and equipment purchase to allow the North Weald helicopter to fly when it is dark.

Terms have been agreed to purchase a second AW169 to replace our existing leased MD902 based at our Earls Colne airbase. The anticipated entry into service of this new helicopter is spring 2024 after its medical fit-out to mirror the equipment carried on the existing AW169 operating from our North Weald airbase. This investment would not be possible without the continued support from the public and businesses of Essex and Hertfordshire. The new state-of-the-art AW169 will be able to fly further, faster and carry more additional equipment than the existing MD902. It also offers the maximum internal cabin space for crew and patients so that, even whilst flying, the pre-hospital care doctors and critical care paramedics will have full access to the patient if necessary.

Purchasing a second AW169 means EHAAT will operate identical aircraft types, assisting in our strategic objective to operate under our own Air Operator Certificate.