24 Oct 2013
London’s Air Ambulance, the Charity which runs London’s only Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, is pleased to announce that it has signed a unique research and collaboration agreement with the Norwegian Air Ambulance.
This agreement formalises the existing strong links between two long established providers of physician-led pre-hospital care. Both organisations are committed leaders in the field of quality improvement in pre-hospital care and place research and development high on their agendas.
London’s Air Ambulance has an international reputation for clinical excellence and has trained the majority of pre-hospital clinical leaders in the UK and many from overseas. It has pioneered advances in care and procedures which have been adopted across the world. The Norwegian Air Ambulance has a rapidly expanding research programme and a unique designated centre for training and development as well as strong links with Norwegian Universities.
To date, the organisations have held three high level consensus meetings to improve their common approach to research and quality in pre-hospital care. The latest meeting set the international research priorities for pre-hospital critical care for the future, the results of which will be published in the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine in due course. The meetings have involved pre-hospital leaders from Europe and beyond and have been hosted and funded by the Norwegian Air Ambulance.
Hans Morten Lossius, Research and Development Director of the Norwegian Air Ambulance, said: "We are very pleased that we have formalized a partnership with London’s Air Ambulance. Norwegian Air Ambulance has prioritized research in recent years. To ensure good research, we are however, dependent on good cooperation across national borders. A partnership with such a well-respected and professional environment that London’s Air Ambulance represents, gives us the opportunity to exchange experiences and engage in systematic collaboration that enables us to produce better research for the benefit of patients.”
Dr David Lockey, Research and Development Lead at London’s Air Ambulance, added: “We are delighted to have formalised our links with The Norwegian Air Ambulance. Both organisations share the drive and enthusiasm to build on past success and work together to improve the care of critically ill patients wherever they may be. Our colleagues in Norway have made great steps in moving research and training forwards and we expect this collaboration to be a springboard for the improvement of pre-hospital critical care.”
