The first rapid response car was introduced and the service expanded into night-time operations. London’s Air Ambulance starts delivering the same medical team and equipment to critically injured people after dusk by road. Initially limited to four nights a week, the night-time operations gradually expanded until the charity started operating 24/7 in 2010.
At an improvised stall carried around by Christine Margetts, Medical Secretary to Dr Gareth Davies, umbrellas and baseball caps were available to purchase, with all proceeds going to London’s Air Ambulance Charity. This was the birth of the charity as we know it and Christine continued to work for the charity for the next 20 years.
The service attained a new helicopter: the Dauphin is replaced by MD902 Explorer. This model was chosen for its safety features, which include no tail rotor (important in an urban environment).
Virgin got on board. “I realised it was time to pay back,” said Richard Branson, revealing in a press release that he had been rescued by emergency helicopters five times. London’s Air Ambulance now had the backing of a powerful PR mogul as well as vital financial support from Virgin Group.
Virgin purchased the helicopter from the Daily Express and covered the operational costs.
Image: London's Air Ambulance helicopter livery reflects Virgin's sponsorship of the charity
The media debate over proposed funding cuts, which would have shut down London’s Air Ambulance, stirred emotion. The public, once again, voiced their concerns and showed their support for the service.
Dr Gareth Davies became Medical Director of London's Air Ambulance. In the same year, Prof Tim Coats became a consultant for the service. Tim was the first senior lecturer in A&E and pre-hospital care in the UK.
Image: Dr Gareth Davies (photo 2015) and Prof Tim Coats
Patients and the public came to the rescue. A media battle ensued after medical professionals voiced criticism in the national media, with some of the patients saved by London’s Air Ambulance approaching journalists to tell their stories.
Sceptics of the service continued to challenge the model of pre-hospital care pioneered by London's Air Ambulance. The result was a further review by Deloitte. The review considered several alternative options, including confining helicopter operations to outer London or replacing it completely with several specialist road ambulances.
Although trauma networks and trauma systems didn't exist (yet), The Royal London Hospital was functioning as a major trauma centre. Today, the hospital is the UK's leading major trauma centre.
A report commissioned by the Department of Health, colloquially known as the Sheffield Report, is published. Designed to evaluate the efficiency of London’s Air Ambulance and its model of pre-hospital care, the report's conclusions are likely to influence funding decisions.
