§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of air ambulances in(a)saving lives and (b)reducing morbidity. [175588]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonPrevious research in the early 1990s did not demonstrate that the benefits of helicopter ambulances in terms of outcomes for patients were sufficient to justify investment in these services by the national health service. Since then, development of the helicopter ambulance service nationally and wider developments in emergency care have created a new environment within which the performance of helicopter ambulances can be assessed. The Department has therefore commissioned primary research to examine the role and effectiveness of air ambulance services in the modern NHS. The first stage, which reviewed the current research evidence, has now been completed. The report can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/mcru/reports/HEASrev.pdf
In light of the findings of the report, the Department is currently considering further research.
§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were transported to NHS hospitals in England by air ambulance in 2003. [175589]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe information requested is not collected centrally.
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§ Dr. StarkeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of air ambulance services to the NHS was in 2003 [175590]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe information requested is not collected centrally. The Department informed ambulance services and their commissioners in January 2002 that the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances should, from 1 April 2002, be met by the National Health Service on a continuing basis.