New facilities unveiled for air ambulance service
THE Thames Valley Air Ambulance officially unveiled its upgraded operations base at RAF Benson on Monday, and HRH The Countess of Wessex was there to mark the occasion.
The service, which serves Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, has improved his fleet over the years since its beginnings in 2000 and was the first air ambulance in the country to carry an I-Stat machine for immediate blood analysis.
At the unveiling, HRH The Countess of Wessex was introduced to former patients, including Georgie Horlock who, at 24, suffered a cardiac arrest at Bicester Village last November, as well as members of the air crew, fundraising staff, volunteers and donors that support the service.
Mr Horlock said: “I can’t thank TVAA enough for all they did to help save my life.
“I was informed of the severity of the cardiac arrest and how essential it is to have medical treatment as soon as possible.
“It was thanks to the expertise and advanced medical equipment that the air ambulance brought to the scene that I am not only alive today, but also have fully recovered months later with no brain damage.
“None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the public who fund this life-saving service and it was an absolute privilege to come back to the base today.”
Chairman of trustees at the air ambulance service, Sir Tim Jenner, said: “TVAA is pushing the boundaries of medical intervention, helicopter aviation and on-scene patient care to deliver a unique life-saving service to patients, where and when it is needed most.
“It was a privilege to welcome The Countess of Wessex for a private tour of our upgraded air crew base and demonstrate to her how our innovative air ambulance service is saving lives across the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
“The new purpose-built facility has a custom-built training room to ensure the most advanced trauma and emergency medical expertise is on board, with upgraded accommodation facilities for the air crew.”
The service said that it now plans to increase the capabilities to include night operations with the launch of a new, specially-outfitted helicopter.
