Cornwall Air Ambulance announces final push to fund medical fit
The final phase of the Heli2 Appeal is being launched to fund the medical fit of Cornwall Air Ambulance’s second lifesaving helicopter.
The charity recently took delivery of the aircraft and a crew successfully flew it to Gloucester for the next stage of its development.
The brand-new advanced AW169 was built at Leonardo Helicopters’ production facility in Milan. Teams of specialists are now turning it into a fully functioning critical care resource.
The charity’s almost reached the total of its £2.85million target. And, with only six weeks left of the appeal, it must now raise the final £197,000 for the medical fit before the end of April.
The medical fit is expected to take several months to complete. Image: Cornwall Air Ambulance.
The medical fit is the build in the rear cabin which enables the clinicians to bring the ‘hospital’ to scene.
It includes key systems as well as all the frameworks and fixtures needed to contain the crew’s specialist lifesaving equipment. Essentially, it is all the components needed to turn the air ambulance into a fully kitted out critical care resource.
‘The AW169 provides us with a class-leading clinical HEMS environment, which is all thanks to the medical fit,’ explains Lisa Ball, Critical Care Paramedic.
‘The fit includes vital structures such as a state-of-the-art stretcher system allowing almost 360-degree access to the patient, the translating seat which allows myself, or any other attending clinician, to monitor and treat the patient during flight, and it gives us rapid access to all our specialist equipment.’
The medical fit will allow clinicians to bring the ‘hospital’ to scene. Image: Cornwall Air Ambulance.
‘Bringing your second helicopter to life’
‘Without the medical fit, we cannot transport our kit to scene, carry out lifesaving interventions or convey patients to hospital.’
The medical fit is expected to take several months to complete. Once finished, the helicopter will be mission ready and is expected to go into service during early summer.
‘This is the final stage in bringing your second helicopter to life and making it mission ready, before it can come home to Cornwall,’ explains Tim Bunting, Cornwall Air Ambulance’s Chief Executive.
‘Having a second state-of-the-art AW169 at our disposal will boost the resilience, capability and versatility of our 19-hour-a-day service, all year round.’
‘It will mean that the crew can attend more missions by air and ultimately save even more lives.’
