GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE Registered Charity No. 1092204 ANNUAL Report 2014/15 THE WORK WE DO AND THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES
OUR YEAR IN NUMBERS GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE Registered Charity No. 1092204 Our Vision: To provide a world-class pre-hospital care service for the people of the region. Our Core Value: To make the care and safety of patients our first concern. Dear supporter, Welcome to our 2014/15 Annual Report. We have included a statistical look at what our aircraft and trauma team have been up to, a financial overview, and some words from people who have been touched by the service either because they have been treated by us, have trained with us or have worked alongside us in the field. From a clinical point of view, we are now operating at an even higher level than ever before thanks to innovations from our medical team. Investments in technology and research have enabled us to further improve our standards of pre-hospital care, bringing real benefits to our patients. You can read about some of these advancements later. I am pleased to report that 2014/15 saw the charity continue to perform well from a financial perspective. This is clearly positive news but it must be taken in context because the costs we face are of such a scale that we could never be complacent about the task in front of us. We are only ever a broken down gearbox away from a 500,000 repair bill, for example. With this in mind, we would like to reach out and thank all the individuals, the social groups, businesses, schools and anyone else whose support enabled us to continue our work. We will continue to work hard for every penny and pound to safeguard the future of the charity. So much happens at GNAAS over the course of a year that it is difficult to encapsulate within this document. Nevertheless, we hope this report gives you a glimpse into how the charity turns the goodwill and generosity of the public into an efficient, effective and life-saving emergency response service. We could not do this without you. Best wishes, Grahame Pickering MBE Chief Executive Great North Air Ambulance Service In total, we responded to 1060 requests for assistance from March 31, 2014 to April 1, 2015. They can be broken down into the following regions: PATIENTS TREATED 45% CUMBRIA northumberland 13% 6% We cover a broad range of incidents, some of which are difficult to categorise. The following table shows how we categorised the 869 patients treated during the year: RTC: 216 36% north EAST north Yorkshire RTC Motorcycle: 76 rugby: 14 horse: 52 swimming: 8 sport/leisure: 66 medical cardiac: 84 medical collapse: 67 Medical: 21 fall: 121 industrial: 27 Farming: 9 aircraft: 1 railway: 7 other trauma: 95 Transfers: 5 2 3
this year s achievements Bloods boost for critically injured patients The winter of 2014/15 saw GNAAS carry blood on board its aircraft for the first time. This allows the charity to perform blood transfusions on scene and on the way to hospitals. The project, titled Blood on Board, was conceived by GNAAS doctor, Rachel Hawes, who brought together emergency response experts from across the region to bring the plan to life. Dr Hawes, a consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, has over 15 years experience as an officer in the Territorial Army. She said: Replacing major blood loss for critically injured patients as quickly as possible is vital. Emergency doctors and paramedics working with GNAAS are specially trained and extremely experienced at stabilising patients at the scene of an accident prior to transferring them to the nearest Major Trauma Centre. The RVI blood sciences transfusion staff then immediately prepare a major haemorrhage pack so that blood transfusion can commence as soon as the patient arrives. The Blood on Board concept takes this approach one step further allowing patients to receive seamless high quality care from the time of injury in the pre-hospital environment right through to hospital care. Having blood on-board GNAAS helicopters, may make a huge difference to a gravely injured patient s chances of survival. As well as the hospital and aircrew staff, the project is also dependent on the region s charitably-funded Blood Bikes service. The Blood Bikes groups in Northumbria and Cumbria will transport blood from the RVI to GNAAS two operational bases at Durham Tees Valley Airport and Langwathby, near Penrith. A fresh box of cooled blood will be despatched every 24 hours, every day of the year, even in inclement weather. Portable scanners help medics see clearly GNAAS is now carrying ultrasound equipment on board its aircraft and rapid response cars thanks to readers of the Cumberland News. In just four months, the newspapers Research These are just two examples of innovations introduced after research by GNAAS clinicians. In 2014/15, the charity appointed one of its doctors to lead a project aimed at increasing the amount of research being undertaken. It is hoped this will lead to even more pioneering projects in the future. SkyCall appeal raised enough money to buy two portable ultrasound scanners. GNAAS crews have already used the equipment to make life-saving decisions. The scanners roughly the size of a smartphone give medics a clearer picture of internal injuries or complications. Andy Dalton, GNAAS paramedic, said: In the case of a cardiac arrest, it allows us to see what the heart is doing and to make a decision on how to treat the patient. We ve used the ultrasound scanners on patients already. They ve been a huge help. We ve been amazed by the response to SkyCall. We d like to thank every single person who has contributed to the appeal, their money is making a real difference to people s lives. Grahame Pickering MBE GNAAS Chief Executive 4 5
Fundraising Volunteering The charity has a small team of public liaison staff, lottery staff, and volunteers whose job it is to generate enough money to keep our aircraft flying. This is a constant battle, as we look to enlist new supporters while encouraging existing ones to get behind the cause. 6.2m - the amount generated in 2014/15 from our fundraising activity. Some examples: Picture 1: The 2014 Enchanted Forest Ball was held in both the North East and Cumbria. A combined 434 people attended, raising 18,391 for GNAAS. Jill Libby, 57, has volunteered with the charity for nearly two years. Jill, from Ingleby Arncliffe, North Yorkshire, was airlifted by the charity in 2012. She was out cycling when two cars collided, one of which struck her at 50mph. She was thrown 20 metres through the air by the impact and suffered serious injuries to her head, chest and arm. Two and a half years on, Jill, a mother of six, began volunteering with GNAAS at the charity s head office in Darlington. She works one day a week, counting cash and inputting data. She also helps out at fundraising events, such as the CornShed music and beer festivals. She said: I really look forward to my days with GNAAS. I d never thought about how the charity was actually run before and now I have a great appreciation of all the behind-the-scenes work. New to the office environment, I was unsure about what to expect but everyone is really welcoming and I enjoy doing lots of different things. At first, it was a bit of a challenge, but I wanted to give something back. Picture 2: The inaugural Nun Run, a partnership between GNAAS and Darlington Operatic Society, attracted 96 entrants. Picture 3: Judy Kitching s MBE long running CornShed Music Festival was joined by a beer festival, raising 26,734 for GNAAS in the summer of 2014. Jill is one of dozens of people who regularly give up their time to perform essential duties for GNAAS. If you would like to join her, please get in touch. Mandy Drake, Deputy Director of Public Liaison, GNAAS: Our aircraft cover an area of roughly 8,000 square miles. We have only a small team of full-time staff, and it is simply not possible to get out and about across that area to spread the word about the work of the air ambulance. Our volunteers therefore provide an essential link between the charity and the communities it serves. I have made friends with other volunteers who have been rescued and I guess I feel an affinity to them. I felt empowered to take on an active role and it aided my recovery by doing something useful, so it was good from a rehab point of view. It has made me more self-confident. It is amazing that GNAAS is run on charitable donations and this is a tribute to the charity and people who run it. The amount of effort and generosity is astonishing. I also have a greater appreciation for how much volunteers at all charities do. Jill Libby GNAAS Volunteer 6 7
The wider team Our aircraft and crew are part of a wider team of rescuers who must pull together to form a life-saving chain when called into action. Adrian Langford, who works as an emergency care assistant for the North East Ambulance Service in Hexham, has witnessed first-hand the benefits of the wider team pulling together in a time of crisis. Adrian recently found himself first on scene at a collision between a motorbike and a car in rural County Durham. The 47-year-old, who also works as a sailing instructor, said: The patient was able to get to hospital quickly which saved around twenty minutes of extra journey time. It was a potential life saver. The benefit of having a doctor on board the aircraft is that they are able to give a more advanced assessment of a patient, followed by additional treatment, including specialist drugs, as appropriate. This preserves life, promotes recovery and prevents any deterioration. Dr Dave Bramley, Medical Director at GNAAS: The aircrew does not work in isolation. Whether it s with the ambulance service, fire and rescue service, mountain rescue teams or the staff when we get to hospital, we are all working together for the benefit of the patient. Mountain Rescue Teams are a key part of the emergency response in areas hard to reach by road. GNAAS crew members frequently find themselves working shoulder to shoulder with their mountain rescue colleagues throughout the region, but particularly in the Lake District, where the inhospitable landscapes attract outdoors enthusiasts from all over the world. An injury which in any other location would be easily treatable and not a risk to the patient can become something else entirely when sustained on a remote and exposed hilltop. In such circumstances, hypothermia is a very real risk. This is where the mountain rescue experts come in. Teamwork is essential to save time, effort and, ultimately, the patient s life. GNAAS forms one link in this chain; the mountain rescue charities constitute another. Mike Blakey, Patterdale Mountain Rescue team leader, said the physical challenges presented by the fells actually galvanise the rescue team members. He added: I have nothing but praise for the work of the Great North Air Ambulance Service. We enjoy a really strong and positive working partnership with the crew. On Helvellyn recently, for example, a man had fallen in a thick fog. Us, the air ambulance and the RAF Sea King pooled resources to reach the patient and deliver care to him. There are lots of examples like this, when GNAAS have been able to bring a doctor to a patient, or fly us closer to the patient, or save us having to make a journey at all. Mike Blakey Patterdale MRT There is a great deal of teamwork involved in these type of rescues and everyone works together for the best outcome. A long journey can be made more quickly and comfortable by GNAAS. It provides a smooth ride which can be crucial for a patient in a lot of pain. Adrian Langford North East Ambulance Service 8 9
sharing knowledge GNAAS is at the forefront of pre-hospital care. The organisation has a long history of sharing knowledge for the benefit of the wider community. Training and work placements offered by GNAAS help drive up standards which benefits patients not just in the North-East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria, but across the world. Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine Crew Course (PHEMCC) This course offers an up-todate introduction to pre-hospital emergency medicine. It takes experienced practitioners and introduces them to the skills required to be effective pre-hospital crew members. The charity began delivering the course in 2003, alongside London s Air Ambulance. Since its launch, the course has undergone numerous changes, reflecting the rapidly changing nature of the pre-hospital speciality. In 2014, two new course directors were chosen to enhance the premium quality of the course. In 2015, a second edition of the 200-page course manual was published. For more information, or an application form, please contact: PHEMCrewCourse@gmail.com Pre-Hospital Anaesthesia Course (PHA) The Great North Air Ambulance Service PHA course provides candidates with the knowledge and skills required to work in a well-governed organisation that delivers pre-hospital anaesthesia. The course has been running since 2007, and was the first of its kind in the UK. Uniquely, it is aimed at both doctors and paramedics, and puts great emphasis on the team approach to managing critically ill or injured patients. Students travel from across the world to attend the two-day course which is held three times a year. For more information, or an application form, please visit gnaas. com/training or call 01325-487263. Both of the above courses use a combination of interactive lectures and scenario-based learning with a strong practical element throughout. Student training GNAAS offers most of its placements to Teesside University students studying BSC (Hons) Paramedic Practice to provide additional practice and learning in critical and trauma care. The partnership, the first of its kind in the UK, formed in 2014 and since then students have been given the chance for a oneday fly out with the crew. Around six of the students are also offered a two-week critical care placement. Students are given guidance and support throughout their time with the charity and are provided with one-to-one training and the chance to practice scenarios, as well as attending real-life emergencies. The arrangement has since lead to around 50 students training at the charity s Teesside and Langwathby bases. Caroline Wright, 36, from Hartlepool, says her time spent with GNAAS was unforgettable. She added: It gives students a real insight into the operations at the airbase and what type of jobs the air ambulance fly to. This means we will be better placed to understand the role of the air ambulance when we take up posts as paramedics. Kevin Hodgson, Director of Operations at GNAAS: These are the paramedics of the future and it won t be long before we will be working alongside them out in the field. It is hugely beneficial to have colleagues who understand our capabilities, what we bring to the scene and when we should be called out. This project allows us to propagate that understanding. Knowledgeable and approachable faculty, good mix of presentations and practical sessions. Enthusiastic instructors. Very helpful and approachable tutors. Learned a great deal and found the opportunity to practice incredibly useful. Quotes from previous students - the number of healthcare professionals trained by GNAAS on its PHA and PHEMCC courses since 2010. It gave me a great understanding of trauma and the management of those situations. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from experts in the field. I feel I have been set up for the future and have a broad understanding of how to support aircrew. The exposure to different situations is brilliant, as well as listening to on-scene decision making. I learned such a lot working with an amazing team. Caroline Wright Student Paramedic 10 11
One of our 869 patients: Nikita s Story The miraculous recovery of Nikita Smith has astounded medical professionals. The 18-year-old was left with multiple critical injuries after a road accident in the summer of 2014. Nikita, from Fryup in North Yorkshire, was riding her moped when it collided with a car near Danby in June. She was so badly injured that medics were unsure if she would even survive. GNAAS doctor Mike Davison treated Nikita on the roadside. He said: Clinically, she was almost dead. Nikita s heart stopped four times, twice in the helicopter and twice at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, where she was flown to. If her heart had stopped a fifth time, it was said to be so weak it may not have started again, but Nikita showed the resolve then that she has shown since, and she slowly pulled round. Dubbed a fighter by friends, family and medical professionals, Nikita has confounded expectations at every turn, firstly in surviving, then awaking from a coma after two months, and her subsequent recovery. Her mother, Sally-Ann, said: We were told that she would be lucky if she was able to walk again with a limp but she is very determined. She s a miracle. Nikita has been able to move her leg past the 20 degrees originally predicted and has currently reached 65. She is always pushing herself and the bone in her leg is healing well. The beginning of this amazing recovery was all down to GNAAS. Nikita who was in the world s top ten female motorcycle trials riders at the time of the incident, still has dreams of becoming a professional rider one day. If not, she hopes to be a paramedic, after being inspired by the care given to her. The family have already fundraised for the service in a hope that they can one day save another life. Her next goal is a bike ride from Scotland to London, once she has recovered further. I was so emotional. when we met, I just wanted to kiss him. There are no words to describe how grateful we are. We call GNAAS the angels of the sky and count every day as a blessing. Sally-Ann, Nikita s mother, speaking of Dr. Mike Dr Mike Davison, GNAAS doctor: Firstly I had to get her heart started again, then fit a tube to allow her to breathe, and then put two holes in her chest to decompress her lungs so they could reinflate. She was as ill as you would ever see a trauma patient. If we hadn t got there, she simply wouldn t have survived. a fighter 12 13
Financial Information Income: 6.157m Sources of Income: Making C onnections - Our growing digital impact Fundraising activities including events 0.423m - 7% Other 0.039m - 1% Donations from individuals & corporate supporters 2.253m - 36% Legacies 2.33m - 38% Lottery subscriptions 1.11m - 18% during 2014/15 Facebook likes on April 1 st 2015 of website users access it on mobile devices Twitter followers on April 1 st 2015 of our Twitter followers are male Expenditure: 4.6 27m /gnairambulance Where our followers are from: The cost of the essential support services, including fundraising, without which we could not operate the air ambulance 1.053m - 23% The cost of the care 3.559m - 77 % WORKINGTON 596 PENRITH CARLISLE 835 2626 BERWICK-UPON-TWEED 472 NEWCASTLE 5180 SOUTH SHIELDS DURHAM 465 SUNDERLAND 2387 1175 WHITEHAVEN 590 HARTLEPOOL 766 BISHOP AUCKLAND 708 REDCAR 595 The charity therefore generated a net surplus in 2014/15 of 1.5m. This equates to less than six months of our operational running costs and is held for future investment and to provide a contingency fund to help us maintain our services. The information included in this report relates only to the charity. The charity is required to prepare consolidated financial statements for audit, these financial statements include the activities of the charity and its trading subsidiary. A copy of the statutory accounts can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission DARLINGTON 1241 STOCKTON ON TEES 913 MIDDLESBROUGH 1831 14 15
The Imperial Centre, Grange Road, Darlington, DL1 5NQ 01325 487263 www.gnaas.com @GNairambulance /GNairambulance