Advanced Critical Care
Our charity is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership.
Our charity is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
Through the introduction of EMRTS, we became the first dedicated, consultant-led air ambulance operation in the UK. The scheme is committed not only to providing the most advanced pre-hospital care in Wales but also in upskilling and attracting doctors and CCPs to live and work in Wales.
As a pan-Wales service, the dedicated crews will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
The highly skilled crew on board can carry out medical procedures which would usually only be available within a hospital setting.
Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we want to improve the lives of our patients by becoming a world leader in advanced, time-critical care.
What does Critical Care and Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine mean?
Sometimes referred to as intensive care medicine, critical care is a medical speciality that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have a life or limb-threatening illness or injury.
The medics on board Wales Air Ambulance effectively bring the intensive care unit to the patient – providing vital medical intervention to the patient sooner and outside of the hospital environment.
Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) is an area of medical care where seriously ill or injured patients receive advance critical care before they reach the hospital. It is a unique area of medical practice which requires the focused application of a defined range of knowledge and skills to a level not normally available outside of the hospital.
What is an EMRTS team?
EMRTS provides a highly trained critical care team comprising of:
- Critical Care Doctors (from an emergency medicine, anaesthesia, and intensive care background).
- Critical Care Practitioners (CCPs) who are advanced-trained former paramedics and nurses.
There are two main service activities, both delivered by teams consisting of a Consultant and Critical Care Practitioner are Pre-Hospital Critical Care and Retrieval.
In addition, EMRTS will also provide critical care support to major incidents and mass casualty events.
Pre-hospital Critical Care
EMRTS and Wales Air Ambulance attend the scene of seriously injured or ill patients requiring specialist care together with senior decision-making skills. The aim is to take the intensive care unit to the patient, providing rapid access to critical care interventions and safe transfer of critically ill or injured patients to an appropriate centre.
Retrieval
Healthcare facilities in Wales may request the support of a Critical Care Consultant and a Critical Care Practitioner to resuscitate, stabilise and safely transfer patients to definitive care. This includes hospitals, urgent care facilities, GP practices and Midwife Lead Units and is for patients of all ages who have life threatening illnesses or injuries.
How does it work?
24 hours a day, the team of critical care clinicians work on board our fleet to deliver advanced critical care to those in a life or limb-threatening situation. They carry out medical procedures that would usually only be available within a hospital setting, such as blood transfusions, administering anaesthesia, and undertaking minor operations.
Thanks to their advanced decision-making they can take patients directly to the most appropriate hospital for their injuries – this can be within Wales or in specialist centres in England – and can mean hours saved in receiving the appropriate treatment when compared to standard care.
The consultants onboard are the same as you would see in a hospital emergency department or intensive care unit. They split their time between shifts in hospital and with Wales Air Ambulance, enabling them to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. They have all undergone pre-hospital emergency medicine training.
The critical care practitioners (CCPs) that join EMRTS are experienced clinicians from either a paramedic or nursing background, but they are still required to commence and complete the EMRTS CCP training programme, which includes obtaining a master’s degree in Helicopter Medical Emergency Services.
As a pan-Wales service with only five teams operating over a 24-hour period, covering the whole country, we are a scarce and highly specialised resource. Therefore, regardless of where they are based, our dedicated crews will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.
We are fortunate to work alongside many remarkable emergency services, one of which is the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST). Our service is in addition to the Welsh Ambulance Service, not instead of. In most cases, a road ambulance will be on scene before us.
What is the difference between Wales Air Ambulance Charity and EMRTS?
Wales Air Ambulance funds the operational infrastructure to deliver the team of critical care clinicians to a patient. The funds so kindly donated by the public pays for the helicopters, rapid response vehicles, pilots, fuel, bases and engineers.
EMRTS, a part of NHS Wales, is responsible for the delivery of the clinical staff and services, NHS support staff and medical equipment.
Between the Wales Air Ambulance Charity (WAAC) and NHS Wales’ the air ambulance service is provided in partnership for the people of Wales.
EMRTS and Wales Air Ambulance jointly fund the Aftercare Service, click here to find out more.
Aftercare Support