As many of us get lost in a whirlwind of Christmas parties and family gatherings, the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is preparing for something very different – another month of round-the-clock missions. Its helicopters continue to take off and bring critical care to those who need it most. Here’s a closer look at the charity – proudly supported by Style Birmingham – that takes to the skies whatever the season.
The bright red helicopters of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity have become a familiar sight across our region, but the scale of what they do, and how quickly they do it, is something you only grasp once you look behind the scenes.
Covering six counties – Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire – the charity operates the largest air ambulance region in England. Every day, its crews are called out to an average of ten emergencies, arriving on scene within ten minutes on average. In a service area spanning almost 6,000 square miles and more than seven million people, that urgent care is often the difference between life and death.
Running those distinctive helicopters – along with a fleet of critical care cars – costs £16 million a year. But because the charity receives no NHS or Government funding for its missions, every take-off is powered by public generosity.
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Why They’re Needed
More than half of the call-outs last year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 20245), were serious traumatic incidents, including road collisions, industrial accidents, sports injuries and serious assaults. The rest were medical emergencies such as strokes, heart attacks and cardiac arrests.
Some happen in places a standard ambulance simply can’t reach quickly enough: remote bridleways, farmland, dense woodland or tricky terrain where seconds matter. Others demand hospital-level intervention on the spot.
That’s why each helicopter carries a pilot and two critical care paramedics or a combination of a paramedic and a highly skilled Helicopter Emergency Medical Service doctor, plus the kind of equipment you’d expect to see in an emergency department. They’re trained to deliver procedures like emergency anaesthesia, advanced pain relief, blood transfusions, and even surgical interventions – all before the patient reaches a hospital.
And since January 2024, its crews have been responding 24/7, either by helicopter or critical care car.
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How A Mission Begins
It starts with a 999 call answered by an operator who passes the details to a HEMS desk. The dispatcher identifies the closest aircraft or critical care car and tasks the crew within seconds. Strategic bases at Cosford, Strensham, and Tatenhill are staffed and ready so the team can be airborne almost immediately.
More than 80,000 missions since 1991 tell a story of constant readiness and countless families who’ve had the worst moment of their lives eased by extraordinary expertise.
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How You Can Help
The charity is encouraging supporters to browse its Christmas Shop – a simple way to support the crews who’ll continue working through the festive period.
