East Anglian Air Ambulance begins night flights

The East Anglian Air Ambulance was started as a charity in September 2000

An air ambulance is to begin flying at night, making it the first in the East region to offer a 24-hour helicopter service every day of the week.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) medical teams cover Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk.

It already offers night time emergency cover by road, but it will now take to the skies at night, as well.

The charity estimates the new service will allow its medics to respond to about 600 more incidents each year.

"The gap between 01:30 and 07:00 where there has been no helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) coverage in the region will now be closed," the EAAA said.

Operating out of Norwich and Cambridge, the EAAA has been providing overnight emergency cover with its rapid response vehicle since March 2020, but said the service would be "bolstered" by the addition of night flying.

Crews are based in Norwich and Cambridge

"This is a huge moment for East Anglia and something that we, as a charity, have been working passionately towards for several years - to provide critical care to someone in a life-threatening or life-changing situation no matter what the time of day or night," Matthew Jones, the charity's chief executive officer, said.

The charity has had to raise an extra £1m a year to fund the additional operating hours.

"In just over 20 years, East Anglian Air Ambulance has gone from operating just one day a week to becoming a really sophisticated 24/7 helicopter operation," Mr Jones added.

"That just would not have been possible without the people of East Anglia who have gone above and beyond in supporting this charity and keeping our crews flying."

EAAA have flown about 30,000 missions including attending to a man who fell from a roof in Lavenham, Suffolk in 2004

EAAA works in partnership with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Essex and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance Trust, Magpas (air ambulance), and Norfolk and Suffolk Accident Rescue Services.

In 2015 Prince William started serving as a pilot, flying out of Cambridge for two years.