Air Ambulance Week 2020 is focused on the theme ‘because every second counts’, highlighting the incredible care that is delivered daily by Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) and other air ambulance charities across the UK.
Throughout the week, we will highlight how we and other air ambulance charities save lives every day across the country, by bringing the emergency department to the side of patients who are critically ill and injured.
We’d love you to get involved and support the week by donating online here, signing up to our 30 for 30 Challenge here or by sharing our social media posts across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
We are the only HEMS service in the UK to be classified as Outstanding by the CQC in all five of their key lines of enquiry. Our specialist critical care teams include both paramedics and doctors, who are supported by pilots and dispatchers. Together they enable vital life-saving treatment and care, wherever and whenever it is needed, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our patients, because every second counts.
We are also the busiest air ambulance service in the UK and last year alone, we were called out to help over 2,500 people in life-threatening situations. We never stop innovating and improving the care we can give, which means every donation we receive is vital.
We are an emergency service and an independent charity funded almost entirely by the general public. It costs more than £14 million a year to sustain our world leading, cutting edge, innovative service and amazingly 89% of our income is donated and raised by people just like you. Your continued support saves the lives of people across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and helps to keep families together. Thank you for all your support.
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, air ambulance charities like us have faced many challenges. Our collection cans alone, which we haven’t been able to use, would normally bring in more than £200,000 for us every year. This is just one of the many ways we would usually be out in our communities fundraising. Despite this, we have not only continued to provide life-saving treatment, but we have also played a vital role in the frontline response to Coronavirus, supporting the transfer of critically ill patients across the south east, as and when required. We are also fully prepared for the challenges that may lie ahead.
In April, we launched our Coronavirus Emergency Appeal to cover the additional costs of operating our world class pre-hospital emergency response service safely during the pandemic, and to cover a significant shortfall in our income resulting from the cancellation of all major fundraising events.
Our amazing supporters have raised over £1.5m to date by supporting our Appeal. This has enabled us to be fully operational at all times. But, we still face a shortfall of £1.4m that we must raise to ensure we continue to save lives 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Now, more than ever, we need your support to help us to keep more families together. No one ever knows when they might need the services of an air ambulance like us. Olivia certainly never thought she’d need us, when she signed up to support out lottery in 2018. But just a month later her two-year-old son Isaac suffered a depressed skull fracture in a vehicle collision. Mum of two Olivia says: “We joked when we signed up to the lottery, but if it weren’t for fundraisers like that, KSS wouldn’t exist and our son might not be alive today.“ Read Olivia’s story here.
David Welch, our CEO said: “We bring life-saving care to our patients, wherever they are, whenever they need it, which is only possible thanks to the incredible dedication and commitment from our valued supporters, volunteers and staff. We appeal to you for your continued support to help us raise vital funds so that we can continue to deliver outstanding treatment and care for our patients. Air Ambulance Week is a fantastic opportunity to show your support for KSS, your local air ambulance.”
Our vital service is funded by your donations. Please donate by clicking here. Thank you.
You can find out more about Air Ambulance Week by following #AAW2020 #Becauseeverysecondcounts on social media.
