Lifeline donation to fund new safety equipment for specialist medical team in Beds and Herts

A donation of £24,000 has been made to a specialist care team of volunteer doctors and paramedics, who provided lifesaving assistance to over 450 patients across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire in their spare time last year.

The donation, to Beds & Herts Emergency Critical Care Scheme (BHECCS), is being used to provide crews with new personal protective equipment so that they are kept safe when responding in challenging environments.

This includes new helmets, protective uniforms, scene lighting and dash cams.

The donation was made possible after the scheme successfully bid for the donation from a grant of £250,000, which is given to the British Association for Immediate Care every year by the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal - the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads.

BHECCS is one of a national network of over 30 regional schemes across the UK, which operates under the umbrella of the British Association for Immediate Care. These volunteers give up their free time to be on call to help East of England Ambulance Service Trust ensuring they get support for critical incidents 24/7. It currently has 32 active responders, who were dispatched 450+ times last year with BHECCS being first on the scene in a quarter of these cases. 78% of incidents attended related to patients in cardiac arrest or who had suffered a traumatic injury.

Chris Roberts, Head of Operations for BHECCS said: ‘This donation is vital in enabling BHECCS responders to continue to deliver extraordinary care in difficult circumstances. Our team are all volunteers and its imperative that we keep them safe so they can be there for the community when they need us most. The addition of high quality personal protective equipment and scene safety equipment will help us provide enhanced care in challenging situations.”

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal added:

“These volunteers are the unsung heroes of emergency care – giving up their free time to support their local ambulance service. This donation ensures they have the highest standard of equipment at their disposal to ensure they can treat patients quickly and safely, giving them the best possible chance of survival and recovery.”