Air ambulance was called out to over 130 incidents in Aylesbury last year

The charity which became an independent health care provider in 2018 provided medical assistance to 1,497 patients between October 2019 to September 2020.

Thames Valley Air Ambulance specialise in helping the most critically ill and injured patients, their organisation contains highly trained paramedics, doctors and pilots.

Over 20 % of the callouts the charity received were related to cardiac arrests, the next highest portion of calls for help were for accidental injuries, the not-for-profit organisation also dealt with over 400 calls for road traffic collisions.

Calls were also regularly fielded for assaults, self-harm incidents and sports-related injuries.

Covering Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire there was a significant drop in the calls the charity fielded this year, going from 2,670 between 2018/19 to 1,667 in the last 12-month span. This drop off can largely be attributed to COVID-19 protocols and the first national lockdown which saw 134 fewer calls relating to traffic collisions compared to the previous year.

To best help people during the first lockdown Thames Valley Air Ambulance redeployed staff to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and set-up an inter hospital transport service to transport critical care patients to hospitals where capacity was available.

Amanda McLean, Chief Executive of Thames Valley Air Ambulance, said: "As we begin another national lockdown, we urge people to follow the Government guidelines to help control infection rates and reduce the risk of overwhelming hospitals and other health services.

"We’re also asking people to be extra careful where possible, for example if you must be out on the roads or doing DIY. We don’t want anybody to need our services but when they do, we bring the hospital to the patient. Last year was an unprecedented year for every healthcare provider, working under the added strain of coronavirus.

"Our crews continue to deliver hospital level care to the most critically ill or injured people in full Personal Protective Equipment. It’s hard and unpleasant but our paramedics and doctors are trained for any eventuality to give you the best chance, when the worst happens."

Dr Stewart McMorran, Medical Director at Thames Valley Air Ambulance, said: "We are called out to the most serious incidents. Working in full PPE adds another layer of difficulty both physically and emotionally. Being able to communicate and calm people while they are in the middle of one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives are as important as the advanced medical care we bring. Unfortunately, PPE is essential during coronavirus but it is another barrier we have to overcome to ensure we’re giving the best treatment and care if you need us."