FINALIST 2024
On 9th July 2022, 65-year-old Nigel Davis suffered a cardiac arrest at his family home in Tipton, in the West Midlands. 999 was called and bystander CPR was started instantly by family members.
At the time of the incident, one of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity's critical care cars was mobile in the area. The close proximity of the car to Nigel’s home meant critical care paramedic, Richard Apps, rapidly arrived on scene.
Richard said: “When we arrived on scene, Nigel was being treated by two ambulance crews after having basic life support provided by his brother-in-law. The CPR performed prior to our arrival meant that there was enough oxygen reaching Nigel’s brain to give him the best chance of regaining a pulse and also the potential for a good neurological outcome.”
The footage in the video which shows Richard performing CPR and other lifesaving interventions is real-life footage of Nigel's incident, which was captured by Curve Media during filming for a 5STAR TV series called Ambulance: Code Red. The use of this footage, along with the expertise and support of local production company, 7Video has helped us tell Nigel's story.
The video was shown at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity's 2023 Recognition Awards and Charity Ball in September and received an amazing response. Not only did it help us raise awareness of bystander CPR and what our clinicians bring to scene, it also helped us raise vital lifesaving funds so that we can continue to make missions possible. There was not a dry eye in the house once the film had finished.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is responsible for funding and operating three air ambulance helicopters and a fleet of critical care cars serving the communities of six Midlands counties: Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire (including Stoke-on-Trent), the West Midlands and Worcestershire. This constitutes the largest air ambulance operating region in England. The charity also provides secondary cover to surrounding areas, such as Warwickshire and Mid Wales.
Since 1991, the charity has responded to more than 74,000 missions, making it one of the longest established and busiest air ambulance organisations in the UK.
Each year it costs in between £13-£14 million to maintain the three aircraft, critical care cars and the provision of a lifesaving service. Each air ambulance mission costs an average of £2,950. Each critical care car mission costs £288 on average. The charity does not receive funding from the Government for its daily missions so relies entirely on the support and generosity of local people and businesses.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
