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Great North Air Ambulance
Founded1991[1]
FounderGrahame Pickering[2]
Type
Air Ambulance, Charitable organisation
Registration no.Reg charity no: 1092204
Location
Area served
North Yorkshire, the North-East, Cumbria and Scottish borders.
Chief Executive Officer
David Stockton[4]
Chair of the board
Brian Jobling[5]
Aircraft operated
Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin N2 & N3
Revenue (2022)
£8.4 million[6]
Staff101[6] (in 2022)
Volunteers (2022)
49[6]
Websitewww.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a registered charity and air ambulance based in the United Kingdom. It operates a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the North of England with three aircraft. It serves North Yorkshire, the North-East, Cumbria, the Scottish borders and the Isle of Man.[7]

Current operations

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Urlay Nook site

GNAAS operates three Dauphin helicopters from its two bases at Langwathby, near Penrith in Cumbria, and Urlay Nook, near Eaglescliffe in County Durham.[3] Between July and December 2021, the service had an average of 85 helicopter call-outs per month.[8]

A helicopter is seen landing in a spots field. Goal posts and a small hill are seen at the end of the field behind the helicopter, and in the far distance larger hills or mountains
A helicopter landing in response to a call-out in Patterdale.

In hours of darkness, when the helicopters do not fly, North East Ambulance Service funds a Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT),[9] which is staffed by a doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS.[10] The MERIT service extended in November 2018 to cover Thursday to Sunday nights, which were previously covered on an on-call basis.[11] The service uses Volvo XC90 vehicles.[12]

In 2014–2015, GNAAS had operating costs of £4.6 million and an income of £6.2 million.[13] In 2021–2022, the operating costs were £6.6 million against an income of £8.4 million, which included a total of £380,000 from government contracts and grants.[6]

In 2020, GNAAS began trials in using jet suits to get from landed helicopters on call-outs to casualties in locations difficult to access.[14] The simulation exercise showed a casualty, whose position it would take 25 minutes to reach on foot, could be reached in a jet suit in 90 seconds.

Current helicopters[15]
Registration Model Year built Year entered service Nickname Base location
G-NHAE[16] AS-365N-3 Dauphin 2 2007 2021 Pride of Cumbria II Langwathby
G-NHAD[17] AS-365N-3+ Dauphin 2015 2020 Guardian of the North II Urlay Nook
G-NHAC[18] AS-365N-2 Dauphin 2 1996 2010 None Urlay Nook

History

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The former helicoper of GNAAS, G-GNAA, shown landed in a field in Darlington. A man in hi-vis clothing is leaning in its opened side door.
G-GNAA on a call-out in 2008.

The air ambulance service began in 1994 with the leased Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopter G-NAAS.[19] MBB Bo 105 helicopters were operated from 2003, and an MD 902 from 2006. 2006 also saw the introduction of the first Dauphin helicopter, G-HEMS. In 2010, the charity consolidated around a fleet of three Dauphin N2 helicopters, which were the first aircraft it owned. This ended the practice of leasing aircraft, which created financial issues. Two of these three Dauphin N2 helicopters were later replaced by newer Dauphin N3 helicopters G-NHAD and G-NHAE between 2019 and 2020. This was done to mitigate the risk involved with flying older aircraft.[12]

Former helicopters (incomplete)
Registration Model Year built Year entered service Year left service Nickname Base location
G-NAAS AS-355F-1 Twin Squirrel 1982 1994 2003 Blyth Northumberland
G-PASH AS-355F-1 Ecureuil 2 1981 2002 Teesside International Airport
G-WYPA Bo.105DBS-4 1989 2003 2006
G-WAAN Bo-105DB 1971 2004
G-GNAA MD-902 Explorer 2000 2006 Guardian of the North Teesside International Airport
G-HEMS SA-365N Dauphin 1982 2006 The Pride of Cumbria Langwathby
G-NHAA AS-365N-2 Dauphin 1991 Guardian of the North Teesside International Airport
G-NHAB AS-365N-2 Dauphin 1991 2021 The Pride of Cumbria Langwathby

In the media

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From 8 March 2018, the charity appeared on Channel 4's TV programme Emergency Helicopter Medics, which followed the crews responding and treating emergency patients.[20] Other air ambulances that featured in the show include Thames Valley Air Ambulance and East Anglian Air Ambulance.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "History". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  2. ^ Conner-Hill, Rachel (25 March 2021). "Great North Air Ambulance founder to leave charity due to ill health". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b "The bases". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  4. ^ Hartley, Araminta (9 April 2021). "Our new CEO". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  5. ^ Hartley, Araminta (21 May 2014). "Chairmanship role for tech entrepreneur". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "Charity Overview: Great North Air Ambulance Service". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Manx Care extends its contract with the Great North Air Ambulance Service". gov.im. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  8. ^ Great North News (PDF) (Winter/Spring 2022 ed.). p. 14. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Medical Emergency Response Incident Team (MERIT) Communication Briefing" (PDF). NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (HMR CCG). 1 February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  10. ^ "New all-night response unit proving its MERIT - North East Ambulance Service - NHS Foundation Trust". www.neas.nhs.uk (Press release). 11 July 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Patients benefit from all-night service" (Press release). Great North Air Ambulance. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  12. ^ a b "The Great North Air Ambulance Service Trustees' report and financial statements" (PDF). Charity Commission for England and Wales. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. ^ "Where your money goes". Great North Air Ambulance. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  14. ^ Hartley, Araminta (29 September 2020). "The jet suit paramedic". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  15. ^ "The helicopters". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Aircraft Data G-NHAE, 2007 Eurocopter AS-365N-3 Dauphin 2 C/N 6779". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Aircraft Data G-NHAD, 2015 Airbus Helicopters AS-365N-3+ Dauphin C/N 6979". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Aircraft Data G-NHAC, 1996 Eurocopter AS-365N-2 Dauphin 2 C/N 6497". www.airport-data.com. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Helicopter history". Great North Air Ambulance Service. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  20. ^ "East Anglian Air Ambulance to star in new TV documentary" (Press release). East Anglian Air Ambulance. 5 April 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
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