New flying medic service to provide innovative and faster emergency treatment for patients across North Wales

Specialist consultants and critical care practitioners who help ‘take the emergency room to the patients’ are to join Wales Air Ambulance crews in north Wales from today.

The Caernarfon based ‘Flying Medics’ team known as EMRTS Cymru, Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service will now give the Air Ambulance service the ability to conduct blood transfusions, administer anaesthetics, offer strong painkillers, and conduct a range of medical procedures – all at the scene of an incident.

In 2015, a unique Third Sector-Public Sector partnership was created between the WAA, Welsh Government and NHS Wales, resulting in the creation of EMRTS Cymru.

The service, which effectively takes the emergency room to the patients, is made up of Welsh Government-funded NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who are able to deliver innovative emergency treatments usually not available outside the hospital environment.

Before the ‘Welsh Flying Medics’ service was introduced, all WAA helicopters, which are funded by £6.5 million of charitable donations each year were staffed by paramedics.

Over the past two years, the ‘Flying Medics’ have become operational on the WAA helicopters based in Dafen and in Welshpool. The next phase, which launches today, will see also see the service start working from the charity’s base in Caernafon.

The new service will see, on any given day, a consultant based at either Welshpool and Caernarfon bases.

As well as the introduction of the medics, the charity has also unveiled a newer, more advanced aircraft for North Wales.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “I welcome this initiative that will enhance the existing service from Caernarfon and bring it in line with the rest of the EMRTS cover enjoyed elsewhere.

“It will bring access to critical care and emergency medicine much closer for people living in North Wales and ensure that they can get the best care more quickly.

“The new helicopter and rapid response vehicle available at the airbase will protect the existing WAA service and make the area more attractive to the very best clinicians and critical care practitioners. It will play a vital role in the provision of high quality unscheduled care across North Wales.”

Angela Hughes, Wales Air Ambulance Charity Chief Executive, added: “The innovative equipment and treatments that we have introduced have attracted international attention, with many Helimed services across the world looking to adopt the Welsh model.

“Our heartfelt thanks go to the people of Wales for raising the £6.5m each year needed to keep the four helicopters flying. We are serving Wales and saving lives.”

Results indicate that:

– By taking the emergency room to the patient, the Service has shortened the time it takes for somebody who is critically ill to receive consultant-led treatment
– More people in Wales, in rural and urban areas, now have equal access to timely consultant-led treatment during an emergency incident, and can be immediately transported to specialist care at healthcare facilities across Wales and beyond
– The Service has relieved some pressure on frontline NHS emergency services. It has improved the time it takes for certain patients to be taken for a CT scan or emergency surgery. In addition, the Service has reduced timely and costly transfers between hospitals by taking patients directly to the appropriate specialist care
– The Service has supported the development of skills and knowledge in critical and emergency care for NHS Wales employees, both during emergency incidents and by organising regular training opportunities.