Praise for air ambulances

Over the last year the air ambulance has worked with Embrace – the Yorkshire and Humber infant and children’s transport service – to rapidly get specialist medical teams and equipment to hospitals.

Dr Steve Hancock, lead clinician for paediatrics at Embrace, said: “Although the vast majority of our journeys are done safely and appropriately by road, there are situations where the option to use the helicopter is crucial.”

“It has proved really valuable to be able to use Yorkshire Air Ambulance to get a team and equipment out to critically ill babies and children in some of our more distant hospitals.“

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a charity providing a rapid response emergency service to five million people across Yorkshire.

It needs to raise £7,200 each day to keep its two helicopters in the air.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance spokesman Abby McClymont, added: “Our ability to fly to a destination as the crow flies means we can dramatically reduce the teams travelling time to the hospital where the child is being treated, making sure the most specialist care gets to them in the quickest possible time.”