Magpas Air Ambulance experienced its busiest year in four years

Cambridgeshire-based charity Magpas Air Ambulance has announced that last year was its busiest year in four years: the charity responded to 1,335 emergencies across 11 counties in and around the east of England.

Life-threatening medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests were the number one reason for activation, followed by patients injured in road traffic collisions – accounting for 65 per cent of the service’s emergency callouts combined.

Magpas Air Ambulance also saw more men than woman, with 73 per cent of patients treated being male, and 10 per cent were children.

In 2022, the charity received more emergency calls between 15:00hrs and 16:00hrs than any other time of day and, throughout the year, more than 460 activations occurred during the night shift (19:00hrs to 07:00hrs).

The festive period (24th December 2022 – 2nd January 2023) alone saw Magpas Air Ambulance respond to 46 life-threatening emergencies across six counties: most frequently attending patients in cardiac or respiratory arrest – including on Christmas Day. They treated patients aged between six months and 80 years old. The highest number of calls were received on New Year’s Eve.

Natalie Church, Magpas Air Ambulance Director of Operations, said: “Our doctors and paramedics have had an extremely busy year. With activations increasing by six per cent, they have done everything possible to continue delivering lifesaving pre-hospital care to patients, wherever they are.

“It’s important to remember that behind the data, every statistic and figure is a person whose life is on the line, and it’s the incredible Magpas Air Ambulance medical team who make crucial differences for those patients every day.” 

In 2022, Magpas Air Ambulance was the recipient of the 999 Hero award, alongside the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.