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Blog

29 November 2021

Air Ambulances from the UK

It is estimated an air ambulance takes off every 10 minutes from somewhere in Britain. Air ambulances from the UK are either helicopters, which attend to accidents and emergencies within the British Isles, or fixed-wing (“Air Wing”) planes which can fly further afield.

Most areas of Britain have an air ambulance service, the majority of them helicopters controlled by commercial firms and funded by charitable trusts. In total, there are 18 air ambulance charities in England and Wales, with 30 helicopters owned or under lease from commercial companies. In addition, some air ambulances from the UK are fixed wing aircraft, owned and run by private companies such as us at IAS Medical. The Scottish Ambulance Service is the only government funded air ambulance service in the UK, with both rotary and fixed wing aircraft.

As well as providing a private patient transfer service both nationally and abroad, our air ambulances from the UK offer a vital service to NHS surgical teams. For example, we offer high quality, rapid response solutions for the transport of specialist surgical teams, conveying them to NHS, UKTFT (UK Transport for Transplant) and specialist PCT hospitals, plus dedicated organ transplant units, both here and abroad. We are one of the few companies to offer NHS Approved transplant flights on our air ambulances, from UK airports in all areas.

When you are transporting organs for transplant, you need an aviation service you can trust. At IAS Medical, we are approved for UKTFT and NHSBT (NHS Blood and Transport) transportation, with many years’ experience transferring organs, blood and tissue to British, European and international destinations. We also offer specialist transport for NHS transplant patients, and others who are critically ill. Yet another service we offer is the repatriation of multiple casualties from military zones. We also repatriate foreign nationals taken ill in this country.

When we at IAS Medical take off in our air ambulances from the UK, every day is different.

How is this calculated?

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Overview

If you need to arrange medical transport, the last thing you should be worrying about is money, so here at IAS Medical we offer all-inclusive prices to help you understand exactly what to expect. The cost of an air ambulance will depend on your individual circumstances, with prices depending on the following factors:

  • The patient’s location and the distance they need to travel
  • The type of aircraft needed
  • The number of medical staff required
  • The airport landing fees
  • The journey required by ground ambulance

The cost of medical crew

The overall cost of booking an air ambulance depends on various factors, including the number of medical staff required and the expertise needed to support the patient’s medical needs.

As an indication of how this affects the overall cost of an air ambulance, the cost of recruiting medical experts is as follows:

  • Flight Surgeons: £700 per day
  • Doctors: £700 per day
  • Nurses: £350 per day
  • Paramedics: £350 per day

The cost of our aircraft

Prices will depend on the type of aircraft you need to book, according to the clinical needs of the patient, the size of aircraft required and the equipment needed on board. Prices will also vary depending on how many people would like to accompany the patient on their journey, although this may not be possible depending on the patient’s medical condition.

For non-serious cases, there is often a choice of aircraft, in which case we will use the most cost-effective aircraft available.

The cost of airport landing fees

All airports charge landing and aircraft handling fees, which will impact on the overall cost of your medical transport. There may also be extension fees to keep the airport open, as well as aircraft de-icing fees.

We provide air ambulances from major airports right across the world, so we can get as close as possible to the patient’s hospital ward. We then use an RAF airport for flights into London, which helps to keep air ambulance costs as manageable as possible.

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