Critical care training partnership enhances emergency care on Isle of Wight, UK

Critically ill and injured patients on the Isle of Wight in southern England are set to benefit from a new collaboration between Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, created to deliver advanced critical care training to island-based paramedics.

Launched in September 2024, the initiative allows selected Isle of Wight paramedics to join HIOWAA on secondment, working alongside experienced critical care doctors and paramedics. During the placement, they gain hands-on exposure to advanced procedures, high-pressure decision-making, and major trauma care.

Paramedic Isabel Horne has now returned to the Isle of Wight after completing her six-month secondment, becoming a fully signed-off Critical Care Paramedic. “This secondment gave me the opportunity to work across a larger geographical area and learn from a wide variety of incidents and highly skilled clinicians,” she said. “I’ve gained vital skills in advanced analgesia, sedation, surgical procedures, and cardiac arrest care … skills that will help give the most critically ill or injured patients the best chance of survival. Now, even when the helicopter is offline … we can provide a similar level of advanced care on the ground – 20 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The program includes immersive clinical placements, simulation training, and postgraduate education at City St George’s, University of London, with additional anesthetic experience at University Hospital Southampton.

HIOWAA Paramedic Clinical Lead Nick Gray said: “We are proud to be partnering with the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service to ensure that island residents receive the very best care … Through this partnership, we’re already seeing faster response times, better coordination, and improved outcomes.”

Around 10% of HIOWAA’s missions are to the Isle of Wight – 176 in 2024 – and the scheme aims to bring hospital-level care directly to islanders when they need it most.

Last year, HIOWAA celebrated its busiest year on record.