Nottinghamshire air ambulance bosses reveal busiest year on record

A total of 441 incidents took place in Nottinghamshire and 1,003 in Lincolnshire, with the rest in neighbouring counties.

LNAA said patients were taken to hospitals including Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre, Hull Royal Infirmary, Lincoln County Hospital and Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital.

Last year saw further service enhancement at LNAA to supports its delivery of critical care, including becoming fully registered with the Care Quality Commission health watchdog, increased night flying, carrying more blood on board and being despatched to more incidents than ever.

Karen Jobling, LNAA chief executive officer, said: “Registration with the CQC means we are now clinically independent, able to develop our services based on the specific and critical nature of the on-scene care given by our helicopter emergency medical services team.

"Our crews can now adapt quicker to emergency advances in drugs and treatments which will ultimately benefit the patients we treat.”

Night missions increased in 2022, with 602 missions carried out during the hours of darkness, more than double the amount undertaken in 2021.

The air ambulance helicopter is also able respond to incidents for 19 hours of the day, from 7am until 2am each day, making LNAA the only air ambulance in the East Midlands operating throughout the hours of darkness.

Ms Jobling summed up the past 12 months by saying: “There are exciting times ahead for LNAA, as we continue to challenge ourselves to improve and deliver our life-saving service to increasingly more people each year.

“All this is only possible with the support from the communities and organisations in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire as we receive no direct funding from the Government.

“Last year we needed £8 million to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we know that with increased costs and increased demand this cost will increase in 2023.

“We thank everyone who has supported us over the last twelve months and enabled us to continue to be by the side of patients, day and night.”