Air ambulance call outs increased by 31 per cent during the first half of 2024, compared to the same period last year.

That's an extra two patients every day who needed the specialist skills of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance team, with each mission costing around £3,500.

It means the life-saving charity needing to raise around £10 million this calendar year to remain fully operational.

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Doctors, dispatchers, pilots and paramedics responded to 1,183 emergency call-outs from across the region from January to June 2024, with the bulk of the missions coming from Southampton, Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Gosport, Fareham and Newport.

May was the busiest month for the service with 222 call-outs, its busiest month since July 2019.

The charity points towards an increase in Critical Care Paramedic car shifts, which run in conjunction with the team on the helicopter, and successful clinical recruitment over the past 12 months as to why it can respond to more patients, more regularly.

The team only attend the most seriously ill and injured patients in the region and can provide hospital-level care at the beachside, roadside, countryside or bedside.

The most frequent calls for help were for cardiac arrests, accidental injuries and road traffic collisions.

(Image: Tim Wallace for HIOWAA)

Clinical Lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Dr Simon Hughes said: “Every day we give our patients, their friends and families the best chance of not only survival, but a successful recovery.

"Nobody knows if or when they’re going to need us, but a cardiac arrest, medical incident or road traffic collision can happen to anyone, anywhere at anytime.

“We are 100 per cent funded by the generosity of the public that we serve. And we are all incredibly humbled and grateful to everyone who continues to keep us responding to the people who need us most.”

The full mission breakdown showed 172 call-outs in January, 185 in February and 191 in March. In April, HIOWAA attended 195 call-outs, 222 in May and 218 in June.

To make a donation to the service, visit hiowaa.org/donate