Kent,Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance
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| Founded | 1989 |
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| Founder | Kate Chivers |
| Type | Charitable organisation |
| Location |
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Key people
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Adrian Bell, CEO |
| Mission | The charity exists to relieve sick and injured people in South East England and surrounding areas by providing a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and Air Ambulance Service for the benefit of the community. |
| Website | http://www.kssairambulance.org.uk/ |
The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance is an organisation providing emergency medical services through the provision of a helicopter air ambulance covering the three counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex in the South East of England, United Kingdom. The helicopter is funded by the Kent Air Ambulance Trust which is a registered charity, raising money from public and private donations in excess of £3.4m every year between Kent, Sussex and Surrey.[1]
Formation and history
The service, an expansion of the existing Kent Air Ambulance service, went into operation in 2007,[2] covering the two counties of Sussex and Surrey.[3]
The trust currently operates two MD-902 "NOTAR" helicopters, G-KSSH and G-KAAT, that can fly at nearly 150 miles per hour,[4] making the outer reaches of both counties accessible in minutes.[2] This aircraft was previously operated as G-WMID by the West Midlands Police.[5] Initially the service operated from Dunsfold Aerodrome, Surrey, which became operational in December 2007,[6] but the aircraft was relocated to Redhill Aerodrome at the start of 2013 to enable it to provide a night flight service covering Kent in addition to its own region.[7]
On the 30th October 2015 it was announced that the trust would invest £10m in relocating its flying base near Paddock Wood.[8]
The service supplements the existing air ambulance service provided Sussex Police Air Operations Unit, the helicopter run jointly by Sussex Police and South East Coast Ambulance Service.
The operation also has a rapid response car for the crew to use in the event that the helicopter is grounded for any reason. This vehicle was donated in May 2009 by Sussex Police, having formerly been one of their traffic patrol vehicles.[9]
Role
The Trust's mission statement is: "relieve sick and injured people in south east England and surrounding areas by providing a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) and Air Ambulance Service for the benefit of the community".[10] The trust provides air ambulance cover for the entire county, in association with the South East Coast Ambulance Service, who provide the paramedics that fly with the trust on secondment.[11]
The trust receives no funding from any government body, instead relying on voluntary donations to meet its running costs.[12]
See also
- Air ambulance
- Air Ambulances in the United Kingdom
- Hotel 900
- South East Coast Ambulance Service
- Kent Air Ambulance
References
- ↑ Kent Air Ambulance Trust, Registered Charity no. 1021367 at the Charity Commission
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. |
