Specialist team now available at any hour to reach the county’s most seriously ill
The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) has extended its Nottinghamshire critical care car service to a 24‑hour operation, allowing specialist clinicians to reach people with life‑threatening injuries and illnesses at any time from its base in Tollerton.
The vehicle carries the same clinical kit found on the charity’s helicopter — including ventilators, advanced medications and equipment for emergency blood transfusions — and its crew are able to perform procedures usually carried out in hospital. That includes pre‑hospital emergency anaesthesia, advanced pain relief and some surgical interventions when they are needed at the scene.
“Our clinicians can provide the highest level of specialist critical care, including blood transfusions, surgical procedures, advanced pain relief and pre‑hospital emergency anaesthesia, at the roadside or in homes when needed to stabilise the most critically ill patients,”
The charity says the team will be dispatched to incidents such as road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests, falls, industrial accidents and assaults across Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas.
How the expanded cover is already being used
The Nottinghamshire car was first introduced after a 2020 trial suggested roughly 400 incidents a year could benefit from LNAA’s specialist care but were not being reached. The charity and East Midlands Ambulance Service examined emergency call data to pinpoint where extra cover was necessary.
| Period | Dispatches | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First 21 days of July | 81 | 36 calls occurred during newly added shifts |
LNAA says the additional hours increased the car’s mission activity by almost half in that period, underlining the demand for round‑the‑clock specialist response.
Vehicles, funding and how the service is supported
The service has also taken delivery of two new Volvo XC90 cars thanks to a grant from the HELP Appeal. LNAA operates as a charity and does not receive government or NHS funding to run its daily missions; it depends on donations and fundraising to maintain and expand services.
- Base: Tollerton (Nottinghamshire)
- Equipment: ventilators, emergency blood transfusion kit, advanced medicines
- Clinical capabilities: pre‑hospital anaesthesia, advanced pain relief, some surgical interventions
Laura Evans, LNAA’s head of operations, emphasised the level of care now available across the county and the difference that can be made by bringing hospital‑grade treatment to the roadside or patients’ homes.
For residents, the change means specialist critical care teams can now be dispatched at any hour, potentially reaching patients who previously might have missed out on those interventions because of limited cover. The charity’s continued ability to sustain the expanded service will rely on ongoing community support and fundraising.
Local ambulance and emergency services will continue to coordinate with LNAA when incidents require advanced pre‑hospital intervention.
