13 Jan 2021
A message from our Lead Clinician
We hope that you and your family are coping as well as possible at this difficult time. Sadly, even during a global health crisis, trauma doesn’t stop, and I can assure you that we will continue to provide life-saving trauma care in the capital 24/7. This simply wouldn’t be possible without you and I want to share my heartfelt gratitude for your support.
There is no doubt that all of us are experiencing first-hand the massive strain that the pandemic is putting on our health service and on London’s communities. Within the crew, many of us have additional roles within the NHS – working in London’s hospitals and with London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
We will continue to support the NHS in every way we can. Our Physician Response Unit (PRU) is a community emergency medicine service which attends emergency calls in people’s homes. During the first pandemic peak, they expanded their working hours and added a second unit, which freed up hospital beds and reduced risks for vulnerable patients by helping them avoid a trip to hospital. This week, they have been able to launch a third PRU team in support of the extreme pressures faced by London’s emergency services. This is no small undertaking, and we are profoundly grateful to the teams who worked tirelessly to make this happen. Specialist team members are also helping to work with NHS doctors and nurses to contact family members of patients who cannot see their loved ones or say goodbye.
It is difficult for all of us to continue the battle against COVID-19 - from the challenges on the frontline to playing our part at home. If the pandemic has taught us anything it's that we are strongest when we support each other. Together, when London calls, we will be there - thank you.
Dr Anna Dobbie
Lead Clinician, London’s Air Ambulance
Contract Tracing Definition
Contact tracing is the process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent onward transmission. When systematically applied, contact tracing will break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 and is an essential public health tool for controlling the virus. Contact tracing for COVID-19 requires identifying people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and following them up daily for 14 days from the last point of exposure.
In line with this we will be following government guidance on contact tracing which mean we will only ask for specific information. This may include things like your name, contact details and time of arrival for example. Please be assured that we will not use the data we collect for any other purpose.
