Third new car will allow us to reach up to 50 more patients a year

Our third and final critical care car has arrived at GWAAC’s base, completing our fleet of response vehicles. 

The cars were purchased thanks to a one-off grant from the Department of Health and Social Care in 2019, and will allow our crew to reach more people in urgent need across the region.  

Previously, we operated two critical care car vehicles but they were becoming increasingly unreliable and unfit for purpose, having done many miles since their introduction.  

By purchasing these new replacements, we have been able to ensure our service is more reliable and resilient for those who need us every single day. Our critical care cars are vital in enabling our crew to reach more critically-ill or injured patients across the region.  

By adding a third car to our fleet, we now have the resource to bring our lifesaving emergency care to up to 50 additional patients a year.  

In 2020, our cars were more important than ever as COVID-19 restrictions meant that our helicopter had to be decontaminated after each mission. We responded to over 70% of missions by critical care car, ensuring that those in need could still receive urgent care from our specialist crew, who can then transfer a patient to hospital in a land ambulance whilst providing critical interventions both on scene and on route.  

Despite this, a recent survey we carried out amongst people living in our region showed that 66% of people didn’t expect and didn’t know that GWAAC responds to emergency by car as well as by helicopter, delivering the same lifesaving care on scene. We hope that the new branded fleet will enhance awareness of the importance of GWAAC’s critical care service in our local communities. 

Find out more about our critical care cars and why we need them below.