The Air Ambulance Service is a lifesaving charity that provides rapid-response critical care across Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland. Operating two helicopters and two Critical Care Cars, specialist crews are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, bringing advanced medical care directly to patients when every second counts.
Covering more than 3,850 square miles, the charity serves a diverse region that includes major towns and cities, rural communities and some of the country’s busiest motorway networks, including the M1, M6 and M40. With an average response time of just 13 minutes, highly skilled doctors, critical care paramedics and pilots can reach seriously ill and injured patients quickly, delivering hospital-level treatment at the scene of an incident.
The charity’s story began in 2003 with the launch of Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance. As demand for the service grew, Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance joined the organisation in 2008, extending lifesaving coverage across five counties. Today, the two services work together under The Air Ambulance Service banner to provide emergency critical care whenever and wherever it is needed.
Demand for the charity’s service continues to grow. Crews now attend around ten missions every day, responding to a wide range of incidents including serious road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests, falls, medical emergencies and sporting injuries. In 2024 alone, the charity attended more than 3,700 missions, highlighting the vital role it plays in communities across the Midlands.
Unlike NHS emergency services, The Air Ambulance Service receives no regular government funding for its day-to-day operations and relies almost entirely on the generosity of supporters, fundraisers, lottery players and volunteers. Every mission comes at a significant cost, with each emergency response costing around £2,500.
