New base for air ambulance will improve service

Crews at the air ambulance charity where the Duke of Cambridge works as a pilot have moved to a new base which should help improve their life-saving capabilities.

Since the charity's launch in 2000, the East Anglian Air Ambulance has been based in an old hangar at Cambridge Airport.

The team has moved to a new purpose-built base on the site and say it will help them respond more quickly and efficiently to 999 emergencies.

Former RAF search and rescue pilot William, known to colleagues as Captain William Wales, has flown dozens of missions since joining the charity as a co-pilot in July. He along with his pilot, paramedic and doctor colleagues are embracing the opportunity to further improve the service they offer to patients.

The EAAA crews aim to be airborne within four minutes of receiving a call. This was more challenging in the past when they were located further from their helicopter, but at their new base they can land right by the crew room.

Doctor Neil Berry said that although performance figures were not yet available, this change could shave a vital 30 seconds to a minute off response times.

Other improvements include better training facilities, sleeping areas andimproved kit storage which allows the crews to be ready to take to the air again after completing a call-out.

The charity, which serves Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Bedfordshire, regularly completes more than 150 missions each month.