Great North Air Ambulance Service

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) had its busiest year on record after responding to more than 2,100 incidents in 2023.

This is an increase of over 260 incidents compared to 2022’s figures and is a consequence of the charity’s expansion of their service.

At the start of January 2023, GNAAS began operating seven nights a week in the North East and later that year extended their night-time service in Cumbria to four nights.

The charity currently provides air ambulance services across the region, mainly in hours of daylight, while on a night-time, from 8pm to 8am, the team transfer to a rapid response vehicle.

The car carries the same life-saving equipment as its airborne counterpart and is staffed by a highly skilled paramedic and doctor team who can deliver blood, anaesthetic procedures, and other advanced treatments to critically ill or injured patients.

David Stockton, chief executive officer at GNAAS, said: “We’re very proud of the fact that we have been operating a 24/7 service in the North East for over a year and we’re hoping to replicate this in Cumbria in the coming months.

“Our rapid response vehicles were deployed nearly 300 times more last year in comparison to 2022. This is a direct result of our night-time expansion and just proves how vital it is for our team to be able to deliver a high level of pre-hospital care to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

In total, the charity’s critical care teams, which are based in Eaglescliffe in the North East, and Penrith in Cumbria, responded to 2,124 incidents in the North East, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cumbria, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

The bulk of incidents were road traffic collisions, followed by cardiac arrests, falls and assaults.

Mr Stockton added: “When our doctors, paramedics and pilots start their shift, they don’t know what type of incidents they are going to respond to or who they are going to meet.

“Every day is different for them, but their sole focus remains the same, which is delivering the best care to their patients.

“As a charity, we do not receive government funding, and must therefore raise £8.5m per year to keep the service operational.

“While it has been challenging to raise funds over the past few years, with factors such as Covid, the war in Ukraine, and the cost-of-living crisis impacting us, I just want to say how truly thankful we are to those who have either donated or fundraised for GNAAS. We’re coming up to our 22^nd year as a charity, and it would not have been possible without the fantastic support of the public.”

To find out more about how you can support the charity visit: gnaas.com or call 01325 487263

About GNAAS

• The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Isle of Man.
  
• They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.
  
  
• The aircraft cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles and on board are specialist doctors and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.
  
  
• The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.
  
  
• GNAAS is a progressive organisation which has pioneered pre-hospital care in the region.
  
• The latest techniques, equipment and drugs are constantly being evaluated to ensure the charity can provide the best care possible for their patients.
  
  
• 2022 marked the service providing 20 years of life-saving care. Throughout this time, they have responded to more than 23,500 incidents across the region, with road traffic collisions being the most frequent type of incident responded to by the team.
  
  
• They do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £8.5m a year through public donations to remain operational.

For more information visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/ or follow @gnairambulance on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok