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Helicopter emergency medical services

Paramedics and a doctor care for a patient next to an air ambulance

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) brings an advanced critical care team to sick and injured people in emergency situations across the area.

On 1 November 2018, a partnership was formalised between UHS as the major trauma centre for the southern region, HIOWAA and South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS).

The air ambulance charity is fully responsible for funding the service, while UHS manages and provides clinical governance for the critical care teams of doctors and paramedics. SCAS continues as the dispatch authority.

Benefits of this new partnership include:

  • stepping up the commitment to developing and expanding the charity's critical care team of paramedics and doctors
  • introducing three HIOWAA critical care team vehicles, all with specialist equipment on board
  • focusing on providing the charity teams of paramedics and doctors with more expanded career challenges
  • improving the charity's systems used to collect and analyse data.

About HIOWAA

Available both day and night, 365 days a year, the air ambulance critical care team is called out to attend to road traffic collisions, sporting accidents and many other incidents.

The specially equipped helicopter can be anywhere within Hampshire in 15 minutes and anywhere on the Isle of Wight within 20 minutes. 

As a charity, HIOWAA relies upon the generosity of individuals and organisations to help save lives. It currently costs £15,000 a day to maintain the service.

You can read more about HIOWAA and how you can help fundraise on their website.