Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 05:33 pm
The crew of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) experienced their joint busiest week on record at the end of May 2023, with 52 call-outs. In response, the crew deployed both their helicopter and critical care car, which were stocked with specialist kit packed into the charity’s new bespoke kit bags.
Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Critical Care, Vicki Brown, who helped spearhead the new kit bags project, said, “The new bags are speeding up processes, especially setting up kit for pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia (PHEA); they are helping to improve the care we provide to people in our communities in urgent need of our help.”
The project took two years to complete and included developing the kit bag system (GWAAC’s third generation of kit bags), finding funding, and getting the bags into mainstream use by the entire crew.
GWAAC is immensely grateful to the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal, which provided the majority of the funding (£20,000 out of £25,000) needed for the manufacture of the new bags. The HELP Appeal is focused on saving lives, and the innovative design of these new bags will help GWAAC’s crew deliver the best care to critically ill patients.
It’s a combination of bespoke kit bags, specialist equipment and knowing how to use it, that saves lives. GWAAC’s patients need hospital-level care at the scene of an incident, and the new kit bags help them to be prepared for anything.
Over the bank holiday period (27, 28 and 29 May) GWAAC’s crew rushed to help 27 people in need of emergency pre-hospital care, equating to an average of nine people a day over the three-day period. Sunday was GWAAC’s joint busiest day on record with 13 call-outs.
The crew from Great Western Air Ambulance Charity have been incredibly busy this past week, responding to their joint busiest week on record with 52 call-outs at the end of May 2023. The crew has been equipped with new bespoke kit bags, funded by the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal, which have improved the way the charity cares for its patients. Over the bank holiday period, the crew rushed to help 27 people in need of emergency pre-hospital care, with Sunday being GWAAC’s joint busiest day on record with 13 call-outs. Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Critical Care, Vicki Brown, commented, “The new bags are speeding up processes, helping to improve the care we provide to people in our communities in urgent need of our help.” With the help of these new kit bags, GWAAC’s crew strive to deliver the best care to critically ill patients.
