Great North Air Ambulance

Charity Details

Full Name: The Great North Air Ambulance Service
Field: Health
Founded: 1991
Headquarters: Darlington, DL1 5NQ
Charity No: 1092204

History and Activities

The Great North Air Ambulance provides air ambulance services across the North of England, serving County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne & Wear. It began fundraising in 1991 to raise the money needed to buy its first helicopter. It took four years to achieve.  In 1995, the charity began operations but struggled over the first few years to meet its costs. As late as 2000 it had no office and just a single volunteer, supported by donations totalling £50,000.

Things began to improve in 2001 with the appointment of Grahame Pickering, now chief executive, who brokered a deal with the North East Ambulance Service Trust to support the service for three years, giving him the time needed to build a credible fundraising organization. The charity now has three helicopters, costing £4.5 million a year to operate. In 2016/17, it had a philanthropic income of £5,817,175, of which the lion’s share came from donations and legacies (72%).

The air ambulance service is designed “to extend and constantly seek to improve emergency pre-hospital and inter-hospital critical care across our region,” thereby improving and saving the lives of patients. It is a tremendous source of support for the NHS and emergency services, and one that is becoming more important through significant service innovations. In 2016/17, for example, the service went live with carrying blood on board its aircraft, resulting in 18 unexpected survivors across the region. In total, the service met 1,042 calls for assistance, leading to 853 people receiving treatment. The financial cost of each callout is £4,919. The value in terms of lives saved and suffering reduced is inestimable.

Vital Statistics (year to 31/03/2017)

Website
https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/

References