Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance called to more than 1,800 incidents in 2022

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance had a busy year in 2022 – the busiest since before the Covid-19 pandemic – with the expectation that 2023 ccould be even more hectic.

In the past year the charity, which operates right across the county, was called out to 1,814 missions, 224 more than in the previous year. The breakdown for 2022 amounted to 982 air missions and 832 road missions, with the busiest days and hours being Mondays to Fridays, 11am and 5pm.

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The charity considered December to be the busiest month in the year, with a total of 193 callouts – the most in a single month since December 2019.

Many of patients that were seen to by air ambulance crews were subsequently taken to hospital, with Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham and University Hospital Southampton being among the most frequented destinations.

Chief executive Richard Corbett said: ‘Each of those 1,814 calls for our help meant someone was in desperate need of our care. Whether they require advanced medication or sedation, a blood transfusion or even surgical procedure, our specialist crews can do all of this before the patient reaches the hospital.’

Of the incidents attended by the charity, 611 were cardiac arrests, 317 were road traffic incidents and 303 were medical episodes.

To accommodate the growing demand for the service, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance put into place further enhancements to its operational model, such as the recruitment of additional specialist doctors, the introduction of a secondary daytime crew – allowing for a wider range of incidents to be attended – as well as extending the aircraft’s operational hours to 19 hours a day, seven days a week.

Mr Corbett added: ‘Thanks to the advancements of our service, we anticipate being even busier in 2023. It is not lost on me that, despite the ongoing financial uncertainty for so many in our region and beyond, our supporters keep rallying behind us and our patients.

‘I cannot thank them enough.’