More lives will be saved every year thanks to the launch of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance’s Critical Care Car in Nottingham.

The BMW X5, which will be crewed by the charity’s Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) doctors and paramedics, carries the same lifesaving equipment found on board the charity’s helicopter including ventilators and advanced medicines – taking the equivalent of a hospital A&E department directly to the scene of an incident.

The CCC crew, who will cover Nottingham and the surrounding areas, will be on call to provide life-saving care at the scene of serious incidents ranging from road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests and falls, to industrial accidents and assaults.

The introduction of the CCC is the result of a trial conducted by the charity which showed that approximately 300 critically ill patients in the Nottingham area could benefit from the service every year.

CEO Karen Jobling said: “This expansion of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance critical care service has the potential to save many more lives.

“We will always be a helicopter-led emergency service but this CCC enhances our ability to save lives in urban areas where the helicopter simply cannot land. It means that our highly trained doctors and paramedics will be able to deliver pre-hospital care to patients suffering from the most serious illnesses and traumatic injuries.

“We are only able to do this work due to the fantastic support we receive from our communities, so our heartfelt thanks to every one of our supporters.”

In August alone, LNAA responded to 121 potentially life-threatening missions across the two counties, 85 during the day and 36 at night. Thirty-nine of these were RTCs, 14 of which involved motorcycles. A total of 43 were medical emergencies, 14 were falls from height, 13 related to sports and leisure incidents, along with ten assaults.

This will be the second CCC entering service with LNAA and will initially operate from the city centre for a few days each week. Additional clinicians have been recruited and trained to support the service expansion and this, along with the CCC itself and the advanced equipment it will carry, will cost approximately £250,000 this year.

HEMS Doctor Paul Hancock, an A&E consultant at a major trauma centre, has helped lead the project. He said: “Our air ambulance crew are called to patients suffering from the very worst injuries and illnesses and we are able to bring an emergency department level of care to the patient directly at the scene.  Our clinicians can provide the highest level of specialist critical care including carrying out blood transfusions, delivering advanced pain relief and inducing sleep at the roadside or in homes when this is needed to stabilize the most poorly patients.

“Our helicopter is rarely in a position to land in Nottingham City Centre, so the new CCC is the ideal solution. It will allow our highly-skilled professional teams to reach patients and deliver lifesaving treatment at the scene, helping to improve survival rates during a time when patients need it most.”

The official launch of the CCC took place in Nottingham’s Old Market Square today (Thursday 3 September 2020) with support from Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham City Council.

The LNAA crew will work closely with police and other emergency services including East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue, using standby points and stations in the area.  Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Craig Guildford, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance as this year’s Chief Constable’s Charity.

“The Critical Care Car is a fantastic bit of kit which will save lives in our region. The work done daily by the charity in the cars and the helicopter is really impressive and I’m proud that our staff and officers’ charitable donations will be contributing to these fantastic resources.”

Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Health, Cllr Eunice Campbell-Clark attended the event and was delighted to learn more about how this service expansion will benefit the local community.  She said: “I am pleased that this vehicle is going to be on the streets of Nottingham to provide vital rapid response to people who need it. The level of equipment and standard of critical care professionals on board is incredible and we can all feel a little safer knowing it is there for us.”