Bus accident response shows value of live-streaming service

14-year-old Karla Fish has been praised for the cool-headed way she responded after a boy was injured by a bus. The incident happened in Consett on Tuesday July 16. After alerting the North East Ambulance Service to the incident, Karla was contacted by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) to see if their crew could … Continued

Training to be an air ambulance doctor: Kate’s story

Kate Allen is a registrar in the busy emergency department at Sunderland Royal Hospital. For the last year, she’s also been training as an air ambulance doctor with the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). It’s fair to say it’s been something of a culture shock to go beyond the relative luxury of four walls … Continued

GNAAS busy on tragic day in County Durham

GNAAS sent two aircraft to two serious road traffic collisions in Newton Aycliffe and Wolsingham yesterday. In the first, the team flew to Newton Aycliffe at 12.57pm to reports of two cars colliding. Due to the severity of the incident, our team from Langwathby near Penrith also flew to assist. After extensive critical care on … Continued

What it’s like to train as an air ambulance paramedic

Ian Grey arrived at GNAAS in 2018 after fifteen years with the North East Ambulance Service. His career there saw him progress from being an advanced technician to a paramedic, through working in ambulance control, with the Hazard Area Response Team (HART) and serving a stint as line manager. He applied for a GNAAS role, … Continued

Training for pre-hospital success

The course brings together doctors, paramedics and nurses to learn the intricacies of performing effective anaesthesia out in the field. It is led by GNAAS doctors and paramedics but in an atmosphere that encourages the sharing of experience between participants from different clinical backgrounds. The course content features a mixture of classroom learning as well … Continued

Schoolboy revived after 25 minutes under river water

The story of Kacper Krauze, 13, of Appleby, has been described as a “miracle” after he walked into the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) Cumbria base to meet some of those who saved his life. GNAAS worked alongside fire crews, police, ambulance and staff from an Appleby medical practice in the aftermath of the … Continued

Roadside surgery success for GNAAS team

On August 9, 2017, a man was stabbed at Horden, County Durham. The man was bleeding to death from his wounds when GNAAS was called. The team included pilot Jay Steward, paramedic Tim West, and doctors David Driver and Chris Smith. What happened afterwards was a first for the region. Dr Smith took some time … Continued

New kit launch day at GNAAS

After five years, the charity has replaced its orange two-piece suits with more contemporary red and black equivalents. Critical care paramedic Jamie Walsh said: “We needed new, better quality uniforms to meet the demands of a fast-paced pre-hospital care work environment. With our base move just around the corner, the time felt right to move away … Continued

Translate »