Wiltshire Air Ambulance sees rise in callouts during busy start to the year
Incidents spiked as lockdown restrictions were eased
Last updated 8th Jul 2021
Wiltshire Air Ambulance have had a busy start to 2021 as the number of incidents they have been called out to increased from last year.
From January to June 2021, the charity have responded to 570 call outs, up from 544 during the same period last year.
They say they saw a big spike in numbers during April and May this year, as the Government announced its pathway out of lockdown.
Of those 570 incidents, 368 were carried out in the helicopter and 202 in the Rapid Response Vehicles.
Here is a breakdown of the most common call outs:
Cardiac emergencies - 162
Strokes, collapses, respiratory problems - 135
Road traffic collisions - 99
Falls - 83
Across Salisbury, Amesbury, Tidworth, Tisbury and Mere, Wiltshire Air Ambulance was called to 61 incidents in the first half of 2021, with 9 patients being taken to Salisbury District Hospital.
The charity has continued operating throughout the pandemic, and last year they responded to a record number of incidents.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance clinical service and ground base manager Richard Miller said:
"The last 18 months for our pilots and paramedics has been extremely tough, operating on the frontline and now the need for our lifesaving service continues to rise.
"We really are funded by you, flying for you - and we can't thank the people of Wiltshire and Bath enough for their ongoing generosity to support our lifesaving work."