Air ambulance approved for Northern Ireland

By Hannah Spratt

Northern Ireland's very own air ambulance service should be operational within a couple of months.

The Department of Health at Stormont has revealed that one helicopter will be based at the Maze outside Lisburn.

A secondary helicopter will be based at St. Angelo Airport in Enniskillen.

The service will be Doctor-led and operate seven days a week.

Credit to all those who have worked tirelessly for HEMS-Air Ambulance service in the north of Ireland, including the late Dr John Hinds

— michelle oneill (@moneillsf) March 1, 2017

Ian Crowe, Chairman of AANI, said:

“We’re delighted the Minister has approved Northern Ireland’s first HEMS service.

The service will bring us into line with other regions in the UK and Ireland, and may save between 18 to 50 lives every year.

AANI is continuing to work with our partners in Health and Social Care and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, and we expect to commence this lifesaving service within the coming months.

“The support we’ve received from the public and local businesses has been fantastic, and I want to take this opportunity to say thank you and encourage others to get involved.

Annual running costs for the service will be £2m and we are relying on the generosity of local people to help us raise these funds.”

NI's Air Ambulance has just been officially unveiled in Belfast. Announcement on when it will be up & running expected in coming weeks pic.twitter.com/0CeBYiwbvz

— Maria McCann (@journomaria) November 9, 2016

Ray Foran, AANI Trustee, added:

“The EC135 Airbus helicopters and pilots will be supplied by Babcock Mission Critical Services, the leading provider of HEMS across the UK. Operating from more than 20 bases Babcock responds to hundreds of emergency calls every week. The medical staff and equipment will be provided and funded by Health and Social Care services.”