New recruits join Cornwall Air Ambulance crew

Three new critical care paramedics have joined the crew of Cornwall Air Ambulance to help save lives across the county.

Kris Lethbridge, Thomas Hennessy-Jones and Pete Storer became members of the Cornwall Air Ambulance crew after a rigorous selection process, including written exams, emergency scenarios and fitness tests.

They take the total number of air ambulance paramedics to seven and join a team of lifesaving professionals dedicated to giving seriously ill and injured people the very best chance of survival.

Air Operations Officer Steve Garvey, who leads the Cornwall Air Ambulance crew, said: “The new members have fitted in well very quickly and are benefiting the whole crew with their skills.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve with the new members on board and how we can develop their training to further enhance our skills and therefore the care we can provide.’’

Each year the crew of Cornwall Air Ambulance carry out around 700 lifesaving mission, taking an average of 12 minutes to reach people in urgent need of lifesaving care. The charity’s running costs are funded entirely by donations from the people and businesses of Cornwall, as well as visitors to the county. People can support their ambulance by visiting cornwallairambulancetrust.org/donate

New aircrew profiles

Thomas trained as a paramedic in London, before joining the East of England Ambulance Service in the Hazardous Area Response Team. He then became a paramedic for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance before taking his current position as a Critical Care Paramedic with Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Thomas said: “I am excited about the opportunity to develop my critical care skills. I am looking forward to developing the training and pushing the boundaries of the care we can provide in the hope that patients will be able to receive more specialist care on board the helicopter.’’

Kris trained as a paramedic and worked for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust in Penzance. He then became a Training Officer where he travelled around Cornwall and the rest of the UK supporting the development of training courses. He has now joined the Cornwall Air Ambulance team as a Critical Care Paramedic.

Kris said: “My main interest is in acute medicine and I am glad to have returned to a more clinical role. I am looking forward to developing additional skills and equipment training with the team to provide treatments that aren’t currently available.”

Pete joined the team as a trainee Critical Care Paramedic. He previously worked as a paramedic for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust based in Newquay. He then became a Practice Placement Educator for the Trust before taking his position with Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Pete: “I am mainly interested in anatomy and physiology, so I’m looking forward to developing my skills in trauma patients as I complete the critical care training.’’