Air Ambulance UK announces 2022 Awards of Excellence winners
The ceremony recognizes the work of air ambulance services and individuals
The winners of the 2022 Awards of Excellence were announced this week. The event was hosted by Air Ambulances UK, at a ceremony sponsored by Airbus.
These annual awards recognize the specialist life-saving skills and commitment of those working tirelessly within the air ambulance community.
An independent judging panel decided the winners from the lists of nominees.
Simmy Akhtar, CEO of Air Ambulances UK, said: “Congratulations to our 2022 Awards of Excellence winners. It has been wonderful to read and hear about all of the nominees and their fantastic contributions. Our independent judging panel had some tough decisions to make when selecting the winners and we would like to thank everyone who submitted nominations.
“The air ambulance community across the UK has remained determined to provide the highest level of specialist patient care at scene despite global and national challenges. All the nominees in all categories – those shortlisted, and the winners – are all part of one community, which works together to be there for local communities at their time of need. A huge thank you to all staff, volunteers and supporters in our innovative life-saving community.”
Life-saving individuals
A total of 14 awards were presented on the night, recognizing both individuals and the services they work in.
The winner of the ‘Breaking Barriers Award 2022’ was Vicki Brown of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC). Brown joined as a Specialist Paramedic in Critical Care in 2012. Her latest achievement came earlier this year when she became the first person in the UK to get on the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC) Register of Consultant (Level 8) Practitioners by qualifying from a purely paramedic background.
‘Charity Staff Member of the Year 2022’ was Sarita Taneja from Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS). Taneja has worked in the KSS Community Fundraising Team for six years. Since then, she has supported thousands of fundraisers, organized store collections, and managed KSS attendance at fundraising events. Another role she plays is overseeing KSS patient visits. She was selected because many former patients and families fundraise for KSS and because she is a personable character. Taneja has arranged over 100 patient visits.
Colin King won ‘Charity Volunteer of the Year 2022’. His interest in air ambulance and charity began five years ago when the air ambulance launched in Northern Ireland. He signed up to Club Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI), giving a monthly direct debit. After the AANI surveyed its members in 2020, King expressed his interest in volunteering. He then became the designated event photographer for the AANI, the go-to mascot volunteer for ‘Helimed Ted’ and a key assistant in AANI fundraisers. But most significantly, he helped the AANI secure a three-year partnership with Translink, Northern Ireland’s only public transport provider of all trains and buses across Northern Ireland, with a marketing and fundraising value of approximately £300,000.
Lee Hilton from Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) was awarded ‘Critical Care Practitioner of the Year 2022’. Hilton is an Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care. Over the last year, he has undertaken personal and organizational development, supported the leadership team and been instrumental in setting up a volunteer responder scheme with the DAA. Many neighboring air ambulance services have been inspired by Hilton’s work and are keen to establish similar responder schemes, and he has agreed to share his experiences and data to allow that to happen.
‘Doctor of the Year 2022’ was Ian Mew from the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA). Mew has worked for the DSAA for nine years, during which he has transformed the care provided to the most injured in the South West and nationally. He developed a fully functional critical care capability for the DocBike within the NHS governance of SWASFT. Mew volunteers his time to staff the DocBike, providing frequent additional clinical care cover for the regions, as well as meeting with bikers to spread the message of injury prevention.
Another member of the DSAA was recognized. Wayne Busby won ‘Operations Support Staff of the Year 2022’. He often works unsociable and extended hours, making himself available for consultation even when not on shift. Due to his efforts, the DSAA has been able to attend more life-saving missions.
‘Pilot of the Year 2022’ was Captain Matthew Wood from Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC). He has worked at MAAC for 18 years and undertaken more than 2,300 air ambulance missions, helping the crews reach and start treatment on critically ill and injured patients across the Midlands.
Eleven-year-old Ellie Smyth won ‘Young Person of the Year 2022’. She is from the North Coast of Northern Ireland and supports the AANI. Sadly, Smyth lost her father in a road traffic collision in February 2019, when she was eight years old. The AANI were tasked to Smyth’s dad, but he couldn’t be saved. Smyth’s family have become official volunteers for the AANI, but Smyth herself wanted to organize an event. She wanted to host a party on what would have been her father’s 50th birthday, which was named ‘Ellie’s Ball’. The event raised £16,000 in total, with £9,000 coming from an auction.
‘Lifetime Achievement Award 2022’ went to Nigel Hare from Devon Air Ambulance, after 25 years involved in the air ambulance Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) community. He is one of the longest-serving paramedics in the UK, and during his career has had a variety of roles, including senior leadership roles in the past 15 years. Hare has developed innovative processes and solutions to problems for the UK HEMS community.
Patrick Peal received the ‘Chair’s Award’. He has worked in the air ambulance sector for more than 20 years, and until last year was Chief Executive of East Anglian Air Ambulance. His ultimate ambition was to introduce a 24/7 service, with the first overnight HEMS shift starting on his last day in office. The key to Peal winning this award relates to his drive to bring together a spirit of collaboration and having a long-lasting positive impact in the air ambulance sector.
It takes a team
However, it is not just individuals making an impact, but the teams they are a part of too.
Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) ran the ‘Campaign of the Year’. Its ‘Help with all your Heart’ project was launched in 2022 to raise awareness of the number of cardiac incidents assisted by the DAA; educate the public about cardiac arrests, the chain of survival and the importance of early bystander invention; provide free, informative CPR/AED training sessions across Devon; install accessible defibrillators for public use; and support the DAA deliver critical care. The campaign was a huge success.
‘Charity Team of the Year 2022’ went Devon Air Ambulance. Their Community Landing Sites (CLS) Team is made up of non-clinicians, who have saved many lives through their work. Their role is to minimize the risks to staff, and they developed an innovative solution for the UK HEMS sector. They designed remote-controlled flood lighting that can be activated either by the HEMS Dispatch Team within the ambulance control room, or the aircrew themselves, enabling the landing areas to be fully illuminated for helicopter landings. To date, over 200 communities within Devon now have their own floodlit Community Landing Site installed.
Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) received the award for ‘Innovation of the Year 2022’. They created the CCC Passport, which has been incorporated into the electronic RADAR governance system, allowing EHAAT’s critical care doctors and paramedics to manage their portfolio of cases and procedures, tracking progress via smartphones. This innovation is impacting the wider sector, with Air Ambulance KSS adopting a similar system and the expectation is it will go even further.
‘Special Incident of the Year 2022’ was won by Cornwall Air Ambulance. On 21 October 2021, Helimed01 was en route to an incident when the ACANS system alerted that a 22-year-old had fallen from a cliff after having a seizure. The patient was face down in water, unconscious, and had a serious open head injury. Her mother was very distressed, but explained she was a GP and gave a clear handover to the responders. In less than 20 minutes, the waves were crashing, and the patient was at risk of being swept into the sea. The mother was unwilling to leave her daughter, too, which made the crew worried they could possibly have two casualties. The responders were told by Coastguard Search and Rescue that their actions ‘undoubtedly saved two lives’.
The importance of the air ambulance services in the UK have been highlighted not just by the Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence, but also during UK Air Ambulance Week.