2024 was the busiest year for your Air Ambulance, as our specialist doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics responded to 2,544 calls for help in 2024 – a year-on-year increase of almost 40%.
Cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions, accidental injuries and medical incidents, such as critical seizures and asthma attacks, accounted for more than 80% of our call-outs.
Southampton (659), Portsmouth and Southsea (258), Basingstoke (131), Fareham (121), Gosport (116) and Eastleigh (100) were the most frequent areas for incidents that required critical care from our teams.
For the first time in our history, we responded to more patients by road in our emergency response vehicles than by helicopter (53%-47%), largely owing to an increase in call-outs for our Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) response car: more than 800 in 2024 compared to just 239 in 2023.
Specialist Paramedic Lead, Mark Durell, said:
“The past year has been remarkable for our service. The incredible growth for our CCP response highlights the increasing demand for our expertise and the trust ambulance crews place in us to deliver advanced care to patients across Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
“The rise in requests for attendance for our helicopter and road-based teams means we’re reaching more patients than ever before, ensuring that lifesaving interventions are available when they’re needed most.”
CEO Richard Corbett, said:
“Every year demand for our service surges. While it can paint a desperate picture for all of those patients involved, the more patients we can get to the more chance they have of making it home to their friends and family.
“I am immensely proud of the response from our crew members, charity team and army of volunteers who continuously rise to the challenge. Not forgetting the enormous role everyone who has supported us plays—your generosity saves lives.”
Operation Airbase
To help us get to even more patients in future, in 2024 we launched Operation Airbase, our biggest ever fundraising appeal.
With your help, we need to raise £3.6 million to relocate to our new Airbase near Southampton Airport. This move will put us within a 10-minute flight time to almost every patient in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
