AAA announces growth and paediatric review
The Association of Air Ambulances (AAA) has welcomed two organisations as members in February, both based in Scotland: the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA). The AAA also announced that it is to undertake a review of perinatal and paediatric retrieval and transfer capabilities nationwide working with the Perinatal and Paediatric Air Transport Group, with a view to facilitating co-operation between established emergency medical services, the Ministry of Defence, air ambulances (charitable and commercial), hospitals and specialist centres.
The Association of Air Ambulances (AAA), based in Solihull, UK, welcomed two organisations as members in February, both based in Scotland. As part of the National Health Service (NHS), the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) operates the UK’s only air ambulances funded by the state, and boasts a fleet including both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) has recently launched and aims to begin a helicopter service in 2013, funded by public donations.
Clive Dickin, national director of the AAA, commented: “As the principal association for the air ambulance sector in the UK, the growth in membership is a key indicator of the authority and cohesion of the Association.” He added that the AAA has plans for further expansion in 2013.
The AAA also announced that it is to undertake a review of perinatal and paediatric retrieval and transfer capabilities nationwide working with the Perinatal and Paediatric Air Transport Group, with a view to facilitating co-operation between established emergency medical services, the Ministry of Defence, air ambulances (charitable and commercial), hospitals and specialist centres.
Bill Sivewright, chairman of the AAA, explained: “Since its inception in 2008, [the AAA] has aspired to bring together the air ambulance community in a way that enables the best use of NHS, charitable and commercially funded resources to really deliver on patient benefit. This is an enormous challenge, and we have quite some way to go, but the significant developments of the past year have taken us much closer to realising that goal.”