The North West Air Ambulance Charity has now been called to more than 3,000 missions across the North West in 2023, including, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria.
The lifesaving charity provides enhanced pre-hospital care to the most critically ill and injured patients across the five-county region, an area covering 5,500 square miles.
The North West Air Ambulance Charity has released figures showing that 2023 was its busiest year to date. They have now surpassed 3,100 missions, this is a new yearly record with 300 more callouts than in the previous year.
The Charity was called to the most incidents in Greater Manchester, totalling 1148 callouts from the 1st of January to the 31st of December,
The Charity’s confirmed figures showed cardiac arrest and medical incidents accounted for over 950 callouts for the year, with road traffic collisions at 780 and accidental injuries at 680.
Andy Duncan, Lead Paramedic said: “Our crew make a lifesaving difference to those who need us most.
“The critically ill patients we treat are at the heart of everything we do, including every decision we make as a charity.
“Thanks to the generosity of our supporters more patients than ever before have received enhanced pre-hospital care from our dedicated and highly skilled crew.”
The Charity launched in 1999 with one helicopter and now operates with three helicopters and four critical care vehicles. Two helicopters are based at Barton Airbase in Manchester, and the third is based at Blackpool Airbase.
Since the beginning of 2023, the North West Air Ambulance Charity has also become operational for 12 hours a day, whilst their ‘Night-car’ service operates on Friday and Saturday nights from 6 pm to 2 am.
Since the increase in operating hours in 2023, across both the helicopters and critical care vehicles, the Charity has seen a significant increase in mission callouts, with over 900 on the vehicles alone.
David Briggs, Director of Operations said: “Each year the number of missions we attend increases and 2023 was our busiest year yet.
“We remain ever grateful to our amazing supporters; without them, we wouldn’t be able to continue saving lives across the North West.
“The charity is solely funded by public donations; we receive no government funding and are not part of the NHS.”
2024 is an important year for the North West Air Ambulance Charity as they are celebrating their 25th Birthday. To find out more information about the charity and how you can support them, head to nwairambulance.org.uk