By Isle of Wight Observer
There was a staggering increase in emergencies for the region’s air ambulance, as the specialist doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics responded to 2,544 calls for help in 2024, more than seven calls a day on average – the most in a calendar year for the charity.
Hampshire & IW Air Ambulance had an almost 40 per cent year-on-year increase in deployments in 2024 (1,842 in 2023), with cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions, accidental injuries and medical incidents, such as critical seizures and asthma attacks, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the service’s call-outs.
Southampton (659), Portsmouth and Southsea (258), Isle of Wight (176), Basingstoke (131), Fareham (121), Gosport (116) and Eastleigh (100) were the most frequent areas for incidents that required critical care from the service.
For the first time in its history, the teams responded to more patients by road in its emergency response vehicles than by helicopter (53 per cent – 47 per cent), largely owing to an increase in call-outs for its Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) response: more than 800 in 2024 compared to just 239 in 2023.
Specialist paramedic lead, Mark Durell, said: “The rise in requests for attendance for our helicopter and road-based teams, means we’re reaching more patients than ever before, ensuring that life-saving interventions are available when they’re needed most.”
The charity is currently aiming to raise £3.6 million towards its Operation Airbase appeal, to help with the relocation of its airbase and headquarters to a site near Southampton Airport.
