With the introduction of consultants and critical care practitioners to the service in 2015, along with ED-standard equipment, we have become one of the most medically advanced air ambulance operations in Europe.

This medical enhancement has been possible thanks to a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership between the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and NHS Wales. The medical part of the operation is known within NHS Wales as the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS Cymru), or the ‘Welsh Flying Medics’. EMRTS Cymru focuses on the medical workforce and medical governance of the service.

NHS Wales, through EMRTS Cymru, supplies the medics while the Charity works tirelessly to raise the funds required every year to keep the helicopters flying.

 

Our Aims:

• to deliver equity of access to pre-hospital critical care (emergency care outside of hospital).
• to improve the chances of patient survival and long-term recovery through early ED-standard treatment at the scene of an incident.
• to take patients directly to the healthcare facility that best suits their needs, saving time over distance compared to road journeys.
• to deliver downstream benefits for other parts of the NHS in Wales (in particular, relieving pressure on frontline services).

It has always been the vision of the Wales Air Ambulance to offer a 24/7 service. The new service will ensure that pre-hospital critical care is available Wales-wide 24 hours a day.