Congratulations to our Operational Support Team who have been named Charity Team of the Year at the prestigious Air Ambulances UK Awards of Excellence, held at a special virtual ceremony attended by Air Ambulance charity leaders and team members from across the UK.
The Awards, sponsored by BMW Group, celebrate the professionalism, excellence, and dedication of all those who work and volunteer within the Air Ambulance community to ensure that people with a life-threatening injury or illness rapidly receive advanced pre-hospital critical care to provide the best possible chance of survival.
Our Operational Support Team won this accolade in recognition of the incredible organisational skills, dedication and commitment of Gary Wareham (Manager), Maire Hatherill (Operational Support Assistant) and Larry Culver (Operational Support Assistant) and their constant focus on innovative ways of improving service delivery. This small team is our operational backbone, responsible for sourcing and managing all of our supplies and medical equipment. Their achievements over the last year have ensured that we have been able to remain operational 24/7, despite the challenges faced.
Speaking at the virtual awards ceremony, Gary Wareham, Operational Support Team Manager at KSS, said, “The initial remit of our team was to ensure that we have a consistent storage system and that we had the right amount of stores available to staff. We have since grown into an integral part of the operation. Thank you to Air Ambulances UK for recognising our contribution to KSS through this award and thank you to Maire and Larry for their day-to-day running of KSS’s operational support function.”
David Welch, CEO, KSS commented: “Our Operational Support Team are outstanding. This small team of just three people has a big remit, keeping a complex and busy 24/7 service functioning and ensuring that our pilots, doctors and paramedics have all the right resources required at any given time. Gary, Maire and Larry are an inspiration to all at KSS, with their unwavering support and dedication to provide the best possible care and outcomes to all of our patients.
“I send my sincere thanks and congratulations to our Operational Support Team for winning this prestigious national award and also to our two finalists, Murray Miles (Young Person of the Year) and David Mantz (Charity Volunteer of the Year) who thoroughly deserved the recognition in their respective categories. I am incredibly proud and grateful to have such a dedicated and committed team.”
Simmy Akhtar, CEO of Air Ambulances UK, said: “The nominations for this year’s awards were truly outstanding and are a great reflection of the day to day work that air ambulance charity team members and volunteers do to help save lives and improve patient outcomes. Their dedication and commitment to patients, families and their loved ones is truly remarkable. I would like to congratulate all of our winners and thank them for their valuable and inspirational contribution to helping people in their time of need.”
