Variation in air ambulance services impacting life-saving care
Study highlights differences in provision due to funding and geography
A detailed review of air ambulance services in the UK has revealed significant variations in the care available, heavily influenced by funding and geographical factors.
According to findings published in the Emergency Medical Journal, services across England differ in their ability to provide life-saving interventions such as blood transfusions and advanced procedures to stabilise blood pressure.
The audit highlights a reliance on charitable funding as a major contributing factor to this disparity, unlike services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which benefit from full or partial government funding.
Anna Perry, CEO of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, explained, “Air ambulance charities are funded by local people and organisations, which means the services they can provide often depend on the level of funding they receive.
“Geography also plays a role, as the distance to a hospital can impact what needs to be done at the roadside or a patient’s home.”
In England, six of the 19 air ambulance services receive partial Government funding, but none are fully funded.
Anna Perry says donations work for day-to-day operations but some funding would be helpful: “Great Western Air Ambulance Charity believes that the government should help with capital funding because that's really hard to get.
“So every so often we might need to buy some new cars or enhance our building, extend our building, maybe even at some point in the future, distant future when we can really afford it, you might want to buy your own helicopter rather than lease one and those things would be incredibly helpful to have government funding for.”
Research by experts from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Imperial College London, and NHS Trusts noted an improvement in physician-based teams since 2009.
The number of teams available 24/7 has risen from one to 11, but geographical gaps remain, with South West England being one of the most underserved areas.
Separate research into trauma patients in South East England has demonstrated the impact air ambulances can have on emergency care.
Examining over 3,000 trauma cases, researchers found air ambulance support is linked with saving five more lives in every 100 major trauma cases.
“Our findings provide supportive evidence for advanced pre-hospital trauma interventions,” the study authors concluded.
These interventions helped save 115 lives each year in Kent, Surrey and Sussex alone between 2013 and 2022.
Anna added: “We all want the service to be there when we or our loved ones need it.
“Unfortunately, a lack of funding means some lives are being lost that could have been saved.”