Would you know how to help someone having a cardiac arrest?
June 29, 2021
GWAAC opens second shop in Yate
August 9, 2021
2021 has been a busy year for our Critical Care Team so far, with a 30% rise in the number of call-outs in the first six months of this year compared to 2020.
The Critical Care Team responded to 981 patients in urgent need from 1 January to 30 June 2021, compared to 759 patients over the same period in 2020.
On average, they are called to over five critically ill or injured patients a day, however, numbers so far this year are already running higher than pre-pandemic call-outs in 2019. The crew experienced their busiest operational month to date in April this year, responding to 192 call-outs in a single month – that’s one call out every three hours on average.
The crew responding to a call-out
Chief Executive at the charity, Anna Perry, said: “As expected, we’re experiencing high levels of calls with the easing of lockdown restrictions. We want to be able to respond to everyone who needs us, yet sadly, that’s not possible with the numbers we are seeing at the moment.”
So far this year, 46 people have needed GWAAC’s Critical Care Team but not got the help they needed due to a lack of resources.
“We have two crews on shift every day who are working tirelessly, however, there will still be patients we cannot get to as we are limited by our resources.”
Despite the difficulties faced throughout the pandemic, the Critical Care Doctors and Specialist Paramedics of GWAAC have continued to bring their lifesaving care to those in need every single day.
As well as responding to patients in their core areas, the Critical Care Team have been called to help over 100 patients in surrounding areas, including Wiltshire, Wales and Somerset.
Each mission costs an average of £2,000 and we rely solely on charitable donations and income to provide the service to our local communities. Earlier this year, we launched our first ever urgent appeal, as COVID-19 restrictions meant we are facing a £250,000 loss in income.
Anna Perry, CEO, said: “We’re seeing this increase in demand at a time when our fundraising has taken a real hit. As our communities need us, we too need them more than ever, so we’re asking those who can to donate and help us be there for more people in the future.”
