Children’s Air Ambulance announces its busiest year

The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA) is a pioneering service changing the face of paediatric and neonatal care through the high-speed transfer of critically ill babies and children. It flies them from one hospital to another for specialist care via the clinically designed helicopters that provide a flying intensive care unit for babies and children.

In 2023, TCAA transferred the highest number of patients in its 10 years of service. Working alongside its 11 clinical partner teams, the lifesaving service took to the skies 200 times, saving 296 hours 34 minutes of vital patient time being out of a hospital environment and 694 hours 54 minutes of NHS clinician’s time.

The charity marked significant milestones as it undertook its first extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) transfer, which then led to a further three ECMO transfers.

TCAA launched England’s first incubator on a rotary-wing aircraft in December 2022. The bespoke three new incubator systems helped 78 neonatal patients and their families in 2023.

TCAA isn’t government or NHS funded and relies on public support to raise the £3,600 needed for each vital transfer mission.

For more information about the charity visit: www.childrensairambulance.org.uk