HIOWAA recruits three critical care doctors

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) has recruited three new critical care doctors to keep up with increasing patient demand for the charity.

Dr Jonathan Morris, Dr Anna Barrow and Dr Chris Beng come to HIOWAA with experience in different medical backgrounds, from emergency medicine, anaesthesia and paediatrics, and have all worked for other air ambulance services in the UK or overseas.

Two of the doctors are already on board and the third will start flying in February 2023.

Dr Morris, who joins the charity as a consultant anaesthetist having worked as an air ambulance doctor in Sydney, Australia, said: “I am thrilled to be joining Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. I am excited to be working with such an inspiring team who are so passionate about providing the best critical care to the people in our region, whenever and wherever they need it. I feel truly privileged to be able to do this job, which would not be possible without the amazing support from our local community – thank you.”

HIOWAA aims to provide a fully staffed doctor and paramedic crew every day and night in the area. The charity says that the combination of paramedics and doctors creates a uniquely skilled team that is perfectly suited to the unpredictable nature of the pre-hospital environment, ensuring patients receive the best care.

HIOWAA also aims to have a doctor on board every flight from its airbase in Thruxton, near Andover, to aid with scene leadership, supporting complex decision making and performing advanced procedural intervention, such as open-heart surgery to amputations, at the scene of emergency.

This announcement comes after the charity anticipated that 2023 will be ‘even busier’ than previous years.