Air Ambulance Northern Ireland recently celebrated its third anniversary
Thanks to support from its partners at Northern Ireland Ambulance service and incredible donors, Air Ambulance NI has responded to over 1,600 taskings during that time.
The Helicopter emergency Medical service (HEMS) has quickly become a critical and essential response for pre-hospital care and is there for all of us, 365 days of the year.
As we face the greatest medical crisis of our generation, the government and healthcare providers have issued important guidance to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.
It’s difficult to know how long these measures will be in place, but one thing that remains constant is the daily provision of its critical care service across Northern Ireland.
Lives depend on its ability to respond when called upon.
As a charity that relies entirely on funding donated by the public, Air Ambulance NI’s current challenge is to sustain the level of donations required to maintain its service when the vast majority of its fundraising activity has been suspended.
Upcoming engagement opportunities, such as talks with organisations and community groups have been cancelled.
Many participation and fundraising events have been postponed or cancelled giving its fantastic fundraisers fewer opportunities to get out there and do something amazing for Air Ambulance NI.
Its hard-working volunteers, who help gather support and spread the word about its mission to every corner of Northern Ireland, are now, due to social isolation, no longer able to assist.
Despite all the changes that lockdown brought on our society, trauma accidents and incidents continued.
During the most critical period of Covid-19, the HEMS service was temporarily taken off-line so that the team could help frontline where most needed; and they completed intensive training in preparation of transfer of Covid-19 patients.
Thankfully, after just 5 days, the HEMS service was reinstated to full operational hours.
The team have since helped with hospital transfers and in attending medical trauma incidents to ensure the best level of patient care.
Safety measures have been implemented including a safety curtain in the helicopter and PPE for their team.
The Air Ambulance NI is extremely proud of all its frontline workers and we thank you for all that you do.
A message from Air Ambulance:
‘During this difficult time, we understand that many families face their own challenges.
Money is limited and the priority will always be taking care of your loved ones.
We simply ask that if you do value our work, and you have the means to support us, please consider donating to Northern Ireland’s Charity Air Ambulance.
It’s your support that will keep us flying and saving lives.
The easiest way to donate is online by clicking the ‘DONATE NOW’ on our website www.airambulaceni.org.’
