Final push to fund medical fit of second lifesaving helicopter

Cornwall Air Ambulance has launched its final phase of the Heli2 Appeal in a landmark moment, to fund the medical fit of its second lifesaving helicopter.

Thanks to the generous support of the people of Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly and beyond, the charity has almost reached the total of its £2.85million target for its second AW169 aircraft.

With only six weeks left of the appeal, they must now raise the final £197,000 for the medical fit before the end of April.

The empty interior of your second AW169 helicopter

The medical fit is the build in the rear cabin which enables the clinicians to bring the ‘hospital’ to scene. It includes key systems as well as all the frameworks and fixtures needed to contain the crew’s specialist lifesaving equipment. Essentially, it is all the components needed to turn the air ambulance into a fully kitted out critical care resource.

Lisa Ball, Critical Care Paramedic, said: “The AW169 provides us with a class-leading clinical HEMS environment, which is all thanks to the medical fit. The fit includes vital structures such as a state-of-the-art stretcher system allowing almost 360-degree access to the patient, the translating seat which allows myself, or any other attending clinician, to monitor and treat the patient during flight, and it gives us rapid access to all our specialist equipment. Without the medical fit, we cannot transport our kit to scene, carry out lifesaving interventions or convey patients to hospital.”

The second AW169 helicopter is now in Gloucester where it will undergo the medical fit, which is expected to take several months to complete. Once this is finished, the helicopter will be mission ready and is expected to go into service during early summer.

Tim Bunting, Chief Executive, said: “This is the final stage in bringing your second helicopter to life and making it mission ready, before it can come home to Cornwall. Having a second state-of-the-art AW169 at our disposal will boost the resilience, capability and versatility of our 19-hour-a-day service, all year round. It will mean that the crew can attend more missions by air and ultimately save even more lives. Thank you to everyone who has supported the appeal on this journey, I hope you’ll join us on this final part of the Heli2 mission.”

Do your bit for the medical fit so Cornwall Air Ambulance can be there for you, when every minute matters.

Donate now: https://cornwallairambulancetrust.org/heli2-appeal/

The medical fit contains the stretcher system, specialist seating and fixtures and fittings to contain lifesaving equipment