London Air Ambulance

London Air Ambulance is well known as HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service), which is used to provide services for injured, or seriously ill sufferers around and in the London. The London Air Ambulance is commenced in 1989.

Presently, this ambulance is found at the Royal London Hospital. This ambulance provides unusual services in the United Kingdom as the helicopter brings a professional doctor in urgent medicine with a paramedic. This ambulance provides its services in all over the London. The medical crews can be flying in about 2-3 minutes after getting a call.

London Air Ambulance Service activated from morning to evening when the helicopter cannot be flied because of security concerns. The medical team is reacted for emergencies at night, however journey is an especially fixed and outfitted retort vehicle.

The plane is stored at Denham over the night. Presently, McDonnell Douglas MD 902 Explorer is used for the London Air Ambulance. In 2000, it changed a SA 365N Dauphin that was intentionally registering G-HEMS.

The cost of ambulance service is about £ 1.4 million per year and about £ 1,200 for each operation. This air ambulance is partially financed by the NHS. The balance is achieved by corporate sponsorship and charitable donations most remarkably by the AA and the Virgin Group. The donations also run a weekly lottery for increasing finances for the ambulance service.

About 2,576 patients had transferred by air and about 341 patients by highway to the Royal London at the end of December of 2004. 2,431 patients had transferred and treated unaccompanied, 830 were transferred to the other hospitals and about 2,508 were clinically attended to other hospitals by highway. 280 secondary air transports had flown to another hospitals and 85 tertiary patients had made to the Royal London.

Medical Crew of the London Air Ambulance is included one doctor, one paramedic, one pilot and one co pilot. Sometimes, there is a spectator who is a paramedic or a doctor in learning. The helicopter has ability to carry about 2 stretchers patients. The air ambulance service is featured on the TV series Trauma of the BBC.

Dr Gareth Davies is the director of medical of the London Air Ambulance. He is working at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel as he is a consultant of pre-hospital care and emergency and accident. He is responsible for various innovations in pre-hospital care like the PRU (Physician Response Unit).