Doctors to board air ambulance to increase patient outcomes

As of October 1, Thames Valley and Chiltern and Hampshire and Isle of Wight air ambulance trusts will work together with a regular doctor-led crew to deliver enhanced medical care on helicopter missions.
Having the doctors on board the air ambulance will enable emergency anaesthesia, cardiovascular procedures and even emergency road-side operations to be administered at the scene of accidents.
A pool of eight doctors will be available on a rota basis to accompany paramedics to call outs with at least one doctor available between the two air ambulances each day.
It was also announced on Friday that the air ambulances will be operational for 12 hour shifts in winter for the first time. Previously, they were not available to fly in darkness and only flew 12-hour shifts during summer.
Chief executive of the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust, Yusuf Firat said: “The whole reason for the charity is to improve patient outcomes.
“There are currently procedures that only doctors can carry out so when a doctor arrives on the scene the chances of survival are significantly increased.”
Assistant medical doctor for the South Central Ambulance Service and who will be joining the air ambulance crew, Simon Brown, said: “We are indebted to the air ambulance charities and the public for helping raise the money for this.
“We think it’s going to provide a much more consistent service for the public. There’s no doubt that having a doctor treating them from the start improves their outcomes.”
Pilot for Thames Valley and Chiltern air ambulance, Alf Gasparro, added that having a doctor at the scene may eliminate unnecessary trips to hospital to confirm that a patient is well enough to stay at home, a decision paramedics are unable to make.