Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance

The Lincolnshire & Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance is an air ambulance based at RAF Waddington which covers the administrative counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and the unitary authorities of Nottingham, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire. It is one of eighteen such services in England and Wales.

History

A group of consultants at the Pilgrim Hospital proposed a helicopter service to ferry seriously ill patients to specialist units at other hospitals, avoiding the lengthy transfer times associated with Lincolnshire's road system.

The Lincolnshire Air Ambulance was formed at RAF Waddington in April 1994. Due to the proximity of Waddington to Nottinghamshire, it was soon extended to Nottinghamshire in 1997.

The charitable trust was formed on 9 February 1993. Peter Aldrick, the Chief Executive, became the first Chairman of the Association of Air Ambulances.

Operational service

Its management has close co-operation (although not financial) with the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), who request assistance if a patient requires urgent medical treatment and transfer to a hospital Emergency Department.

Other air ambulances in the Midlands are straddled over several counties; Lincolnshire is the largest administrative county in central England, and the air ambulance is particularly beneficial given the width and undulating character of the Fen roads across the east of the county. More-seriously injured patients are normally ferried to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham rather than Boston, Grantham, Lincoln or Scunthorpe.

In November 2013 the service became the first in the UK to complete a first full night mission, responding to the scene and delivering the casualty to hospital in the hours of darkness. Although this has been done by other UK Air Ambulance in the country, the Lincs and Notts service is the first and only one to have trained all its Paramedic aircrew in the use of Night Vision Goggles. In doing so this alleviates the need for a second pilot, with the service leading the way in partnership with the Civil Aviation Authority.

The helicopter is fully night equipped including a state of the art search light.

Structure

The main office is in Bracebridge Heath, south of Lincoln, close to the helicopter base. It has a satellite office in Nottingham on the A612 near Nottingham Racecourse.

It has charity shops in Grantham, Grimsby, Market Rasen, North Hykeham, Spalding, and Mansfield Woodhouse.

Fleet

In November 2010 the service took delivery of a new MD902 Explorer, capable of flying for longer, faster and fully equipped for night operations. The aircraft retains the yellow colour scheme worn by its predecessor, but has the registration of G-LNCT, after the Charitable Trust.^[1]

G-LNAA, the helicopter operated by the service between 2000 and 2010, was returned to Specialist Aviation Services at Staverton (Gloucestershire Airport), where it was overhauled before being used as the fleet-spare for their medical operations.^[2]

The original helicopter used was a MBB Bo 105, G-PASC, in service between 1994 to 2000.

See also

• East Midlands Ambulance Service

References

External links

• Lincs & Notts air Ambulance
• Association of Air Ambulances
• Picture of the MD902
• Pictures of G-LNAA at Airliners.net
• Pictures of G-LNCT
• Pictures at Aircraft-data.com

News items

• New helicopter in October 2010
• 10,000th mission in March 2008
• Struggling for funds in September 2002

Video clips

• Sutton Bridge in August 2010
• G-LNAA takes off in Worksop in July 2009
• Mablethorpe beach in October 2007