The new Children's Air Ambulance.
(Image Credit: Daily Echo)
The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA), launched as part of a new national emergency air transfer service, will fly critically ill babies and children from district hospitals to specialist centres in England and Wales.
So far TCAA has completed three successful missions and is in the process of visiting the country’s five leading paediatric intensive care units – including Southampton General Hospital – for familiarisation.
Although it will operate under national charity the Air Ambulance Service, it will not attend rescues like other air ambulances but will solely undertake emergency transfers of children already in hospital.
About 6,000 babies and children suffering from severe illnesses or injuries, such as meningitis, heart conditions or major trauma, need urgent specialist treatment every year and, with TCAA, transfer times will be reduced from hours to minutes compared with the same journeys by road.
Dr Iain Macintosh, director of the paediatric intensive care unit at University Hospital Southampton, said: “Once we have this vital service up and running, it will provide an incredible safety net for the whole country.
“Hundreds of children who would have been at risk from longer travelling times will no longer be at risk and that is a major development.”
TCAA requires £134,000 a month to provide the service and is funded solely by donations and sponsorship.
Source: Daily Echo
The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA), launched as part of a new national emergency air transfer service, will fly critically ill babies and children from district hospitals to specialist centres in England and Wales.
So far TCAA has completed three successful missions and is in the process of visiting the country’s five leading paediatric intensive care units – including Southampton General Hospital – for familiarisation.
Although it will operate under national charity the Air Ambulance Service, it will not attend rescues like other air ambulances but will solely undertake emergency transfers of children already in hospital.
About 6,000 babies and children suffering from severe illnesses or injuries, such as meningitis, heart conditions or major trauma, need urgent specialist treatment every year and, with TCAA, transfer times will be reduced from hours to minutes compared with the same journeys by road.
Dr Iain Macintosh, director of the paediatric intensive care unit at University Hospital Southampton, said: “Once we have this vital service up and running, it will provide an incredible safety net for the whole country.
“Hundreds of children who would have been at risk from longer travelling times will no longer be at risk and that is a major development.”
TCAA requires £134,000 a month to provide the service and is funded solely by donations and sponsorship.
Source: Daily Echo
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Ambulance, transport, pediatric
The new Children's Air Ambulance. (Image Credit: Daily Echo) The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA), launched as part of a new national eme...
