Flight for Life - Spring/ Summer 2020

FLIGHT FOR LIFE SPRING/SUMMER 2020

OUR COVID-19 UPDATE

ehaat.org

ANNOUNCEMENT STUART ELMS Clinical Director ESSEX & HERTS AIR AMBULANCE This has been an unprecedented time for the nation, the charity, our supporters, our clinical team and indeed for all of our families, friends and colleagues. The speed with which we have all had to adapt to the changes brought by COVID-19 has been exceptionally fast, no one could imagine the demand on the healthcare system over such a short period of time.

However, there has been a silver lining to this dark cloud as we have seen an amazing collective response from everyone connected with the charity and indeed in the communities that we serve. As ever our charity staff and clinical team have pushed hard to ensure the critical care we provide has not diminished in any way. Our 24/7 cover has carried on throughout and we are proud that we have been available to care for those in Essex, Hertfordshire and beyond despite crew team members having to isolate with COVID-19 symptoms.

As well as our normal service we have been working hard with our NHS and emergency service partners to provide an additional critical care transfer service. This will help to move patients from hospitals that are at risk of being overwhelmed to dedicated surge

hospitals that have the capacity to care for extra patients.

We have been overwhelmed by the support, by the messages of love and thanks and the offer of help from our supporters. And also, those organisations that supply us with the life-saving equipment that we need to continue our work. From every member of the charity and clinical team we wish to thank everyone of you for this continued support, we cannot do this without you and indeed during this time of extra demand may well need more help from you.

We are also thinking of our patients, colleagues, friends, and family members who have become unwell during this pandemic. We are humbled and inspired by the strength of these people in often such sad circumstances. Your courage gives us the inspiration to try even harder.

We ask you to join us in following the current guidance from the NHS and government, please stay at home - look out for each other and those in need and we thank you all for the amazing appreciation shown to our clinical team and the continued support of your local life-saving air ambulance service.

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS AND SPONSORS‌ BERESFORDS

MDS CIVIL ENGINEERING

CHANDLERS INDEPENDENT ESTATE AGENTS

MILLENNIUM VETERINARY PRACTICE

CHELMSFORD STAR CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY

RAINE & CO

GATES

SPECIALIST AVIATION SERVICES

LAMBERT CHAPMAN

TC GROUP

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/ EssexandHerts AirAmbulance

The Business Centre, Earls Colne, Colchester, Essex, CO6 2NS If you would like to stop receiving Flight for Life or update your communication preferences you can email us at contactus@ehaat.org or by phoning 0345 2417 690.

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STAY SAFE | PROTECT THE NHS | SAVE LIVES

ehaat_

WELCOME

TO THE FLIGHT FOR LIFE MAGAZINE JANE GURNEY Chief Executive Officer ESSEX & HERTS AIR AMBULANCE

At the time of writing, the Coronavirus situation is affecting us all in so many ways.

Our main aim during this challenging time has been to keep our critical care teams operational 24/7 so that we can continue to provide life-saving care to the most critically ill and injured people of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas. We have been working hard to reduce the chances of infection at our airbases.

Our supporters, colleagues and communities are at the heart of everything we do, so we closed our offices and shops in order to protect staff, volunteers, supporters and the community at large.

During these uncertain times we are also being more mindful of any cost savings we can make and so have reduced the number of pages in this issue of Flight for Life.

We postponed our Strictly Air Ambulance event until the 24th October 2020 and cancelled the North Weald Motorcycle Run that was due to take place on 3rd May 2020. I very much hope our riders will be able to join us at our Dunton to Harwich Motorcycle Run on the 13th September 2020 (providing this event goes ahead). During this period, we are suggesting lots of alternative fun ways to support us at ehaat.org/fundraise as raising funds is even more vital.

There have been some major developments at the charity since our last issue of Flight for Life including the charity reaching 25,000 missions on 1st January. It was a moment for us to look back and consider all the patients and families whose lives have been touched by Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT). It’s a milestone that everyone who has worked for or supported the charity over the years can be very proud of.

Thank you!

In February work began on our new airbase at North Weald with a ‘breaking ground’ ceremony.

It was lovely to see so many people who had been involved in the project come together for the event. Due to COVID-19 the build is currently on hold but we are hoping work will resume soon.

On 20th March our helicopters and rapid response vehicles had been carrying blood on board for a year. At the time of writing we have been able to provide nearly fifty patients with potentially life-saving blood transfusions on scene.

Finally I would like to take the opportunity to wish you and those close to you, the very best of health. Thank you for your continued support, it really is appreciated.

COVID-19 update The impact of this pandemic is ongoing, we took some early decisions to protect our team and our communities; closing our charity shops and furloughing our retail team was a difficult but essential move. We also closed our airbases to all non-essential visitors and working from home became the new normal for our charity office team in order to protect our crew on the ground.

Our current forecasts indicate that we may have a fundraising income gap of over £500,000 between April to June. We will need all of your support during and after COVID-19, if you can.

If you are doing lots of spring cleaning, we would really appreciate it, if you could hold onto your charity shop donations for the time-being as we are unable to collect from outside our shops, however we will be in desperate need of your donations once we reopen.

Please keep an eye on our social media channels and our website for news.

Help us to be there for you by fundraising whilst remaining at home and safe.

Visit ehaat.org/fundraise for more information and ideas.

WORKING FROM HOME?

COOKING/ BAKING

LIVESTREAM FUNDRAISING

GET CRAFTING

Donate the money saved from

Share pictures of your creations

Set up an online giving page

Knitting, painting or cross

not using petrol, paying for

on social media (remember to

and when you reach your target

stich – turn your hobby into

parking, buying lunches or your

tag us so we can see). Get your

stream a live head shave, leg

a fundraiser. Take orders

takeaway coffee. Or simply sign

friends to give you marks out of 10

or chest wax, or any other

from friends and donate the

up to play our lottery.

and donate their rating to EHAAT.

fundraising ideas you can carry

proceeds.

So, if they rate your bake/dish as

out in the safety of your home.

6/10, they could donate £6.

PUBLISHED BY:

Focus IMC www.focusimc.co.uk

EDITOR:

Kayleigh Bonner kayleigh.bonner@ehaat.org

CHARITY NUMBER:

1108989

ehaat.org

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Incident summary: • Male patient • 14 years old • Thrown from bicycle into lamp post

“THE TEAM WERE INCREDIBLE” In June 2018, Joanne Woodcraft was only a few minutes from home when a neighbour called to say her son Harry had been in an accident near their house.

Joanne recalls, “When I first got the call I thought ‘what’s he done now?’. He was a typical 14-year-old boy, always getting into scrapes.

When I saw him, I knew it was something serious.”

Harry had been cycling when he rode over a manhole cover.

He was thrown from his bike into a lamp post, fracturing his skull.

As can be common with head injuries, Harry was left in a state of distress and disorientation.

“He was lying on the ground and his arms and legs were flying everywhere”, explains Joanne. “A land ambulance arrived, then another, but they couldn’t calm him down. Next thing I saw the air ambulance flying over and a couple of minutes later the critical care team arrived.”

Unlike a land ambulance, EHAAT’s critical care team can perform advanced procedures at the roadside and administer certain drugs which would otherwise have to wait until the patient arrives at hospital.

Pre-hospital Care Doctor Stelios Elia and Critical Care Paramedic Tony Stone immediately took control of the situation, recalls Joanne.

“Once they’d got everyone out of the way, Stelios introduced himself, explained to me what was happening and what they were going to do. He was so calm that he instantly made me feel so much better.”

Due to Harry’s agitation from the head injury, the critical care team needed to sedate him to gain control. This was increased to a prehospital anaesthetic, putting Harry to sleep and allowing the team

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STAY SAFE | PROTECT THE NHS | SAVE LIVES

• Serious head injury • Required sedation • Required a pre-hospital anaesthetic to allow placement of tube into trachea to take over patient breathing and help protect his brain • Transferred via air ambulance to major trauma centre

to put a tube into his trachea and take over his breathing. This was done to give Harry’s brain the best chance of recovery.

“When they said they were going to put a breathing tube into Harry I knew things were serious. The team were so reassuring, but it was still a shock to see him ventilated. Stelios told me they wanted to take him direct to The Royal London Hospital, a major trauma centre.”

After being stabilised and assessed at The Royal London Hospital, Harry was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for an operation to deal with a bleed on his brain.

“He was in a medically-induced coma for six days. When they brought him off the drugs they said expect 24 hours before you see a difference, but within two or three hours he was blinking and that evening he was awake. Within a week he was home.

“We’re incredibly lucky to live where we do and that the air ambulance was really close by that day. The team were incredible.

They were so in control and calm. Nothing seemed to faze them and they were so good at communicating what was happening. I will always hold them in high regard for what they did for my son.

I’m certain the fact that they got there so soon played a big part in Harry’s recovery.”

WE NEED YOUR BLOOD! To celebrate six months of carrying blood on board our helicopters and RRVs, we organised a blood drive at Colchester United’s JobServe Community Football Stadium on Sunday 20th October.

We wanted to acknowledge the amazing contribution made by blood donors and boost blood donations.

The day was a great success. CEO Jane Gurney was among those who gave blood for the very first time, while Laurie Phillipson, one of our critical care paramedics, gave his 25th blood donation. We were joined by Colchester United football players, East of England Ambulance NHS Trust paramedics and our ‘blood on board’ partners at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and Essex Voluntary Blood Runners.

Keep an eye out on our social media channels for future blood drives.

FUNDRAISING IN TOUGH TIMES Once again we have been astounded by the effort our fundraisers put in to get involved with our fundraising initiatives since the last magazine.

However, now more than ever as our events and fundraising activities are being postponed, continuing to raise funds is vital.

sharing photographs of your tasty treats on social media using the hashtags #ratemybake #ratemycake or #avbat. Get your friends to give you marks out of 10 and donate their rating to EHAAT. So, if they rate your bake as 6/10, they can give £6!

Our teams have been busy coming up with fundraising ideas for everyone to take part in whilst ensuring everybody continues to follow government guidelines on social distancing and remain safe.

You could also start planning your afternoon tea for later in the year when our desperation to see friends and family for a cuppa and cake is finally relieved. Visit ehaat.org/avbat for your free fundraising pack.

March was due to bring with it our Big Pub Quiz fundraising initiative.

While some supporters have taken to the web to organise their own quizzes, we enlisted the help of Critical Care Paramedic Joe Dowsing and Will Hordley to act as quizmasters for a Facebook Live quiz. Joe and Will presented the quiz from the Earls Colne airbase just after they finished a 12 hour shift! Through donations and pledges on the night, we expect to have raised over £6,000 from our incredible supporters!

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, 22 supporters tackled 36km and thousands of incredibly steep steps as they trekked sections of the Great Wall of China. In doing so they raised an incredible £49,000!

Whilst witnessing some phenomenal views and sometimes near vertical climbs, the group also were able to help with repairs to the wall and experience the fascinating culture of China.

Following in the footsteps of a successful trek, Christmas bought an abundance of festive fundraising to Essex and Hertfordshire - raising an outstanding £67,500! From mince pie mornings to Christmas jumper days, carol concerts to fayres, we can’t thank everyone enough.

Will and Joe leading the virtual quiz

Keep an eye on our social channels for our upcoming plans which you can get involved with from the safety of your house. Alternatively, if you would like to hold a virtual quiz night with your friends and family, our Big Pub Quiz pack with questions can be downloaded at ehaat.org/the-big-pub-quiz.

If you are interested in our ‘A Very British Afternoon Tea’ fundraising initiative – which was scheduled for June – you can still take part by

Trekkers in China

ehaat.org

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WE URGENTLY NEED TO BUY PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) TO KEEP ALL OUR CREW SAFE

PPE APPEAL

HELP KEEP US SAFE #PPEappeal

PLEASE DONATE NOW

Visit ehaat.org/ppe-appeal Text ‘PPE’ to 70588 to donate £10* OR send a cheque along with the form on the opposite page *see ehaat.org/terms-conditions for full T&C’s

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STAY SAFE | PROTECT THE NHS | SAVE LIVES

CAN YOU HELP TO KEEP OUR CREW SAFE? To enable our crew to keep delivering our 24/7 life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) with the protection they need from COVID-19, we need to raise £50,000 for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

These funds will provide PPE for our critical care teams for 6 months based on our average call-out figures of 6 missions a day.

Our crew are continuing to attend road traffic accidents, cardiac arrests and medical emergencies across Essex, Hertfordshire and surrounding areas.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

COST

SINGLE USE FACE SHIELD

£4

GLOVES (BOX)

£6

SINGLE USE SUIT

£7

MASK (FFP3 STANDARD)

£10

GOGGLES

£14

PPE TESTING KIT

£200

POWERED AIR RESPIRATOR SYSTEM: (BLOWER UNIT, RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES, BELT) PER SYSTEM

£652.62

HOSE (LIMITED LIFE)

£36.80

HOOD (LIMITED LIFE)

£83.50

FILTERS (LIMITED LIFE)

£30-£40 per pair

RAISING FUNDS IS EVEN MORE VITAL DURING THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES WHERE WE ARE HAVING TO POSTPONE EVENTS AND OTHER FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES...HELP US TO BE THERE FOR YOU. However large or small, every penny will help protect our crew.

You can visit the website at ehaat.org/donate or donate over the phone on 0345 2417 690.

Alternatively, cheques can be made payable to ‘Essex & Herts Air Ambulance’ and returned with this form to Freepost ESSEX & HERTS AIR AMBULANCE I wish to donate the sum of

Name Address

Postcode Phone Email

By ticking this box , I confirm that I am a UK tax payer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. I understand the Charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give for current and, if applicable, future years.

Reference (for office use): Flight for Life PPE Appeal ehaat.org

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A NEW BASE AT NORTH WEALD base ing of the air Architect draw

Part of the building will be an interactive visitor centre where we look forward to welcoming the communities we serve. This will include some informative and fun interactive experiences to explain everything from how and why we are tasked, to the life-saving interventions the crew can make.

In February, work began on our new purpose-built airbase at North Weald. We are aiming to open the new base, which will replace our current leased facility there, in spring/summer 2021. Due to COVID-19, the build is currently on hold but we are hoping work will resume soon.

To pay tribute to the incredible life-saving work of our critical care teams, we will be installing a celebratory sculpture at the new airbase.

We are excited to have partnered with Harlow College, to challenge the students to come up with innovative designs. We have been blown away by their commitment and creativity and look forward to sharing more about this exciting project in the coming months.

To mark the start of the build, CEO Jane Gurney welcomed VIP guests, charity trustees and EHAAT’s critical care team as well as members of the construction team to North Weald on 12th February for a ‘breaking ground’ ceremony.

The day also saw the launch of our ‘Buy-a-Brick’ fundraising appeal which allows supporters to be part of our new airbase forever.

All 4,000 bricks purchased from this fundraiser will be used in the helicopter viewing area, which will be accessible from the visitor centre.

Jane Gurney told guests: “This is such an important milestone in the charity’s history. Building the specially-designed facility ourselves will result in significant cost savings compared to leasing a new building built to the same specification.

We haven’t forgotten our other airbase Earls Colne, where we will be extending and improving facilities in order to future-proof it. You can keep up to date with progress on the new North Weald airbase by visiting ehaat.org/north-weald-airbase

As well as housing one of our two helicopters and two rapid response vehicles, the new base will include areas for training, mentoring, patient liaison and fundraising. There will be space for cross training with other emergency services, which will benefit both EHAAT and the local prehospital care community.

Concept of the ne w visitor centre

BUY-A-BRICK AND HELP BUILD OUR FUTURE

Choose your brick at ehaat.org/buy-a-brick

Buying a brick is a great way to be part of our new airbase forever. Every pound goes to the build. Thank you.