On the 1ST April 1987 CORNWALL’S AIR AMBULANCE took to the skies.

This was the first Air Ambulance in the UK and was a unique experience for everyone. There was a great feeling of excitement in the challenge of this then, unknown territory from the paramedics and their pilot, to the control staff that was to direct the Air Ambulance to the type of missions they should fly.

It was very apparent that the geography of Cornwall lent itself to the concept of an Air Ambulance. Beaches, inaccessible cliff tops, acres of moorland, farm land and congested roads, particularly in summer, all made the work of land vehicles more difficult and time consuming.

The distance to the major hospitals from many parts of Cornwall made the Air Ambulance a vital life saving mode of transport. From its base at St Mawgan it could reach any part of the county in twenty minutes, and the Isles of Scilly in twenty-eight minutes. In 1989 the Air Ambulance took up its new and present base at RAF St Mawgan.

The Air Ambulance Concept

DEDICATED

Unlike any Military or Police Helicopter it is equipped and manned solely as an Ambulance.

FAST

Airborne in two minutes of a 999 call and flies at 140 mph enabling fast Paramedic support to the patient. On average it takes twelve minutes from the time of the call to the scene of the incident.

FLEXIBLE

The Air Ambulance flies in a direct line to the incident avoiding narrow congested roads.

COST EFFECTIVE

It was assessed that the cost of the Air Ambulance was seven times more than a land Ambulance, but it could cover the same area as seventeen land vehicles.

The Ambulance Control decision

Before dispatching the Air Ambulance, a number of factors have to be taken into consideration.

1. Suitability of the patient, there are very few patients that cannot be transported in this way, maternity patients in advanced stages of labour for instance.
   
2. The location of the incident. Is it more accessible for a land vehicle or an air ambulance.
   
3. Can a land vehicle or an Air Ambulance reach the patient more quickly?
   
4. Area cover. The Air Ambulance is supplied to the Ambulance Service to use as an Ambulance. Therefore there may be occasions where it might be better to use the Air Ambulance to convey a patient who may not strictly warrant the it, than to take a land vehicle for a long journey, which would leave a large area without Ambulance cover especially when the next call may be unsuitable or inaccessible for a helicopter.

Types of Mission

Primary

Sometimes now referred to as HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) The Air Ambulance lands directly at the scene of the incident where other ambulance vehicles may not be involved. The patient will be stabilised on scene, loaded onto the Air Ambulance and transported to Hospital. About 75% of Air Ambulance work is on Primary missions.

Secondary

A land vehicle will attend to an incident and treat the patient, who will then be transported to a convenient location to be transferred to the Air Ambulance, thus giving the patient the advantage of a smooth rapid journey to Hospital.

Tertiary

An urgent inter hospital transfer. As no hospital has all the equipment and skills to treat all patients, the Air Ambulance can be used to transfer patients to specialist units.

If you wish to donate money to us please view the Donations Page Here.