South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne met Senior Officers of Midlands Air Ambulance charity at an event in Parliament to raise awareness of its rapid and life-saving medical care to communities across South Shropshire.

The charity is committed to providing critical care to patients who have suffered a medical emergency, whether on the roadside or at home, and to ensure they receive the best possible chance of survival. 

Midlands Air Ambulance raises £15m a year to provide its emergency service to those living in the West Midlands. The charity has announced it aims to open charity shops around the whole of the West Midlands to provide much needed funds.

As part of its news the charity is increasing provision of rapid response cars to deploy in bad weather and during of darkness or for hard-to-reach places, when a helicopter may not be available.

The charity can run thanks to the work of 50 clinicians and volunteers which include one paramedic per vehicle, with an aim to crewing each station with at least 2 doctors and a nurse per station thanks to further funds.

Commenting on the announcement Philip Dunne said:

“Midlands Air Ambulance is a very well supported charity. It has invested in a new state-of-the-art helicopter, which is set to join its fleets later this year.

“The new Airbus H145 is specifically designed for air ambulance operations, equipped with latest medical technology, including advanced life support equipment.

“These charitable services are fast and efficient and rely solely on the generosity of the public. An increased fleet means patients can be transported to hospitals quicker, which can be critical in some medical emergencies.

“I applaud the service for their dedication on dealing with over 4,000 missions every year which is an increase of 25% since 2018/19. As the charity does not receive NHS funding, I hope many across South Shropshire will join me in supporting the life-saving work that is carried out by the charity.”