Saving lives by night with new Warwickshire Air Ambulance car

Air Ambulance crews will hit the county's roads by night to help save hundreds of lives during round the clock calls.
The new service. Image from Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance NNL-160523-093856001The new service. Image from Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance NNL-160523-093856001
The new service. Image from Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance NNL-160523-093856001

The new late car night service will see doctors and paramedics covring emergencies by road from 4pm until 2am each morning.

The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance scheme hopes to save as many as 1,500 lives a year by filling the gap left by the flying service once darkness falls.

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Running every night of the year, the cars will carry all the lifesaving equipment used on the helicopter such as a defibrillator and cardiac monitor.

And on-board doctors and critical care paramedics will have access to critical care drugs and equipment usually available only in hospital emergency departments.

It has all been made possible thanks to an appeal by the WMAS charity to raise £69,000 needed to get the car on the road - but volunteers still need £200,000 per year to keep the service running.

Steve Wheaton, Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, said: “We very much welcome the introduction of this doctor led car service.

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“Our crews already know many of the doctors who will be providing this service, so we are confident that the new scheme will work extremely well and bring real benefits for patients.”

Richard Clayton from the air Ambulance charity, said: “This new service will undoubtedly save lives.

“It means the expertise of our highly trained team of trauma doctors and critical care paramedics who normally fly on the helicopter during daylight, will be available at night.

“Helicopters are severely restricted to where they can land at night, which means it could take longer to get to patients.”

The new car, which will be unveiled in Coventry city centre on Saturday May 28 from 10am to 3pm.