AIR AMBULANCE EYES UP A MOVE FURTHER SOUTH TO SPEED-UP RESPONSE TIMES

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance could in the future offer a quicker life-saving service to those living on the Isle of Wight, as the charity eyes up moving from its base at Thruxton. Currently, the helicopter and its onboard medics can reach the Isle of Wight within just 20 minutes after taking off from the existing base near Andover. But the Chief Executive of the charity, Richard Corbett, has said that he thinks operations should be more central to the patch, not in the north-west corner on the border with Wiltshire. As part of a constant review of the service, consideration is being given to how flying doctors can get to patients faster and whether Thruxton is the right place in the long term. It has been suggested by Richard Corbett that the aircraft could be moved further South – something Richard recognises is a lot easier said than done. , The options are limited but the obvious alternative to Thruxton would be Solent Airport at Lee-on-Solent, which would cut the travel time to the Isle of Wight considerably. The Coastguard helicopter already operates from Lee-on-Solent. As well as looking at the options for air operations, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is looking to expand its rapid response vehicle offering. This is something not currently offered on the Isle of Wight. The air ambulance now flies for 19 hours a day, every day. In the month of October, the helicopter attended 95 missions with a further 76 missions attended to by road. Of these 171 incidents, just 18 were on the Isle of Wight. It now costs the charity £3,320, on average, every time it attends an emergency call out.