Priti Patel MP, aboard the emergency helicopter, talks to Critical Care Paramedic Zoey Spurgeon (opposite) and duty Doctor, Will McGuiness. Shortly after this photo was taken, the helicopter and team took off to respond to an emergency call.
Priti tours Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Airbase
Witham MP, Priti Patel, toured the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance’s airbase at North Weald on Tuesday 16th August 2022. During her tour she met trustees, staff and volunteers, as well as members of the critical care team, who provide emergency medical services to the seriously ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas. She made a similar visit to their airbase at Earls Colne in 2015.
Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAA) is a charity that provides a vital life-saving service with a pre-hospital care doctor and a critical care paramedic attending serious incidents, either by helicopter or rapid response vehicle, to provide emergency care to the patient as quickly as possible.
Priti’s tour included meeting the crew at the aircraft and a visit to EHAA’s new interactive Visitor Centre and its Simulation Suite, which is used for immersive training scenarios. Priti heard about the vital role the service provides in supporting both patients and their families. She also learnt of the charity’s aspirations to become a ‘Centre for Excellence’, its collaboration with partner organisations as well as the sharing of knowledge and experience to enhance the quality of its services and improve patient outcomes.
Speaking after the visit, Priti said: “It was a fascinating tour and I greatly appreciated seeing the people and technology involved in preparing for and taking part in emergency medical operations, in often very difficult locations. Every second counts when you are dealing with seriously injured patients and Essex & Herts Air Ambulance are dedicated to maximising the potential for the survival of the people they treat.”
Jane Gurney, Chief Executive Officer of Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, who hosted the tour, said: “It was a pleasure to have Priti with us today. We greatly enjoyed showing her around our new state-of-the-art airbase here at North Weald and having the opportunity to highlight the crucial work everyone at the charity does for the critically ill and injured who live, work and travel through our two counties.”
Images
