For the most part of the first month of 2015, London will be left with no air ambulance services, thanks to the new European Union rule. The rule prevents London Air Ambulance to operate its replacement chopper when its main air ambulance undergoes maintenance. The annual maintenance is believed to take up to three weeks. The spokesman of London Air Ambulance services revealed that all choppers owned by the charity undergo mandatory annual service so that optimum condition can be maintained. The cost of running the air ambulance services comes up to 5 million pounds annually. The salaries of the trauma physicians are taken care by Barts Health NHS Trust. The paramedics, on the other hand, are paid by London Air Ambulance services.
Air Ambulance Services will be Replaced by Temporary Rapid Response Cars
Cars are no replacement for air ambulance services, but London will have to contemplate with road transport for the next three weeks. Chief executive of emergency services, Graham Hodgkin assured Londoners that the rapid response cars will do the job for the time being and the citizens have nothing to worry about. However, he did reveal that the response time would be slightly “diluted.”
London Air Ambulance services had treated 34 stab victims and 61 road accident victims in last November alone. The charity air ambulance service had attended a total of 163 patients in the same month. The aim of the air ambulance service has mainly been to provide on-the-spot treatment to the patients rather than bringing them to the nearest hospital.
The Air Ambulance Services will Cover a Larger Population in the Future
Efforts are on to raise funds for a new chopper so that they can have another chopper by this summer. This effort will enable the charity to extend its air ambulance services to 400 more patients. The daylight flying can also be extended by about 16 hours. A second chopper would also mean that there would be no break in air ambulance services.
