Cornwall Air Ambulance: Work begins on a bigger HQ

THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE

Cornwall Air Ambulance starts work on extending its headquarters

Saving lives since 1987, Cornwall Air Ambulance was the first service of its kind in the UK and provides critical care to over 1,100 seriously sick or injured people across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly every year. As it marks its 35th year, the charity has been busy planning for the future, a major part of which is the extension to its headquarters at Cornwall Airport Newquay.

The charity has grown and extended its operations over the decades; with the purchase of an AW169 helicopter and increased operating hours from 12 to 19 per day, 365 days per year, it became apparent the current building was no longer fit for purpose.

In 2019, Cornwall Air Ambulance was awarded grant funding of £897,700 from the Department of Health and Social Care towards a proportion of the building costs for a new crew facility. While the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the start of the project, work is now well underway to extend the existing hangar with a view to providing better training facilities, a significantly improved operations room, and more rest areas for the aircrew.

Head of Operations Alf Evans said: “The new three-storey building will provide the crew with immersive training rooms, study areas, sleeping pods and quiet areas for some much-needed downtime after emergency missions. It will ensure the air crew has the best resources to continue providing the best possible service to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

“Importantly, it will also future-proof the charity’s operations, allowing for further growth where needed.” The work is being carried out by local firm Brady Construction Services and is due to finish in spring 2023.

In 2021, the AW169 helicopter and two rapid response vehicles (RRVs) were tasked to 1,092 missions - an average of three incidents a day. The team of critical care paramedics and doctors responded to 534 medical emergencies and 551 traumarelated incidents, as well as flying seven inter-hospital transfers to ensure seriously sick patients could receive the specialist treatment they needed.

Last year was also the inaugural year of Cornwall Air Ambulance carrying blood products on board the aircraft and RRVs. The Blood On Board service launched as a collaboration with the blood transfusion service at Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and Cornwall Blood Bikes. In its first year, the service carried out 12 pre-hospital blood transfusions.

Each year it costs over £5million to provide this lifesaving service to the people of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and the charity relies on the generosity of supporters to fund emergency missions. l

You can find out how to support the charity by visiting its social media platforms and at cornwallairambulancetrust.org