The UK Childrens Air Ambulance - Info??
bsbhe38 or whatever you call yourself. You are indeed a brave person coming on here and describing what can only be some non descript babble.
The question on everyone's tongue is this:
Why has it taken so long to stand up? Why does your CEO need such an enormous remuneration (and his wife) to run the charity?
Are you there....................................................... ..
The question on everyone's tongue is this:
Why has it taken so long to stand up? Why does your CEO need such an enormous remuneration (and his wife) to run the charity?
Are you there....................................................... ..
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
As 206 Jock said, why couldn't a local air ambulance take on this job, and I would love to know if the TCAA gave E Flt 202 Sqn at Leconfield a call saying they were flying overhead enroute Scarb - Hull !
Is that baby unit/incubator part of TCAA or was it a 'carry on' from the hospital? Judging by the photo in Waypoint, it was a 'carry on', meaning any air asset could have been asked to assist in this life threatening case, possibly even from Carr Gate, Teeside or Sheffield who would have been most convenient for picking up the Embrace Team.
More details;
TCAA chalks up first child flight Waypoint AirMed and Rescue Magazine
Transport (Embrace) Yorkshire Neonatal Network
I love the comment;
Every minute counts, despite taking over an hour to get somewhere in order to save an hour. Somewhere that other air assets are far closer. As for the rush hour traffic problem, 11 May was a Saturday 
Is that baby unit/incubator part of TCAA or was it a 'carry on' from the hospital? Judging by the photo in Waypoint, it was a 'carry on', meaning any air asset could have been asked to assist in this life threatening case, possibly even from Carr Gate, Teeside or Sheffield who would have been most convenient for picking up the Embrace Team.
More details;
TCAA chalks up first child flight Waypoint AirMed and Rescue Magazine
Transport (Embrace) Yorkshire Neonatal Network
I love the comment;
UK child flight charity The Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA) has reported that it completed it’s first ever patient transport mission on 11 May,
TCAA pilots X and X took off in the Agusta 109 Grand at 09:25 hrs from Coventry Airport.
They collected the specialist medical team from Embrace headquarters (J37 M1) and travelled to Scarborough Hospital to pick up the patient, and then conducted a flight of just 15 minutes to Hull Royal Infirmary.
TCAA lead pilot X added: “We estimated that by road this journey would have taken over an hour. Our total flight time was only 15 minutes with the patient onboard. As we flew along, we could see congested roads and the difficulty a land ambulance would face, especially if it needed to travel in rush hour traffic. It’s cases like this where every minute can, and does, count.”
TCAA pilots X and X took off in the Agusta 109 Grand at 09:25 hrs from Coventry Airport.
They collected the specialist medical team from Embrace headquarters (J37 M1) and travelled to Scarborough Hospital to pick up the patient, and then conducted a flight of just 15 minutes to Hull Royal Infirmary.
TCAA lead pilot X added: “We estimated that by road this journey would have taken over an hour. Our total flight time was only 15 minutes with the patient onboard. As we flew along, we could see congested roads and the difficulty a land ambulance would face, especially if it needed to travel in rush hour traffic. It’s cases like this where every minute can, and does, count.”
Ignoring the crass press report (the windpipe wasnt connected to the stomach because if it had been it would have been something called a TOF - a major abnormality!!!!) this child presumably had oesophageal atresia. We can see from the photos that he wasnt in an incubator at birth, wasnt on a ventilator and was at most on minimal oxygen. Why was he not moved by road ambulance????
A helicopter is beneficial for seriously ill neonates on ventilators and heart lung machines. It is also beneficial for older children with organ failure. BUT in the back of a noisy helicopter it is difficult to monitor breathing and listen to the heart. For less ill neonates like this a land ambulance is safer
I do hope this organisation gets some medical advice about tasking
A helicopter is beneficial for seriously ill neonates on ventilators and heart lung machines. It is also beneficial for older children with organ failure. BUT in the back of a noisy helicopter it is difficult to monitor breathing and listen to the heart. For less ill neonates like this a land ambulance is safer
I do hope this organisation gets some medical advice about tasking
knowing very little about this setup, and even less about medical issues for children, all I can see is that the naysayers all seem to be people already flying in similar roles. Worried they may have competition perhaps? 
As for tasking a SAR S61 to do the job of a 109? Really?
Why not see how this operation runs for a while before knocking it? Maybe they will be very successful and hush the anti TCAA mob?
They've done one task, lets wait and see if they do many more over the coming months before criticising?
As for tasking a SAR S61 to do the job of a 109? Really? Why not see how this operation runs for a while before knocking it? Maybe they will be very successful and hush the anti TCAA mob?
They've done one task, lets wait and see if they do many more over the coming months before criticising?
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: UK
Age: 52
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"As for tasking a SAR S61 to do the job of a 109? Really?"
Equally you might ask why you would want to go to the expense of funding a 109 at Coventry and then fly it all the way up to Scarborough for a simple transit to Hull when there was a SAR Sea King (and conventional air ambos?), for whom this sort of stuff is bread and butter tasking, sat up there doing nothing else at the time.
Equally you might ask why you would want to go to the expense of funding a 109 at Coventry and then fly it all the way up to Scarborough for a simple transit to Hull when there was a SAR Sea King (and conventional air ambos?), for whom this sort of stuff is bread and butter tasking, sat up there doing nothing else at the time.
Instead of 'Cabotage' perhaps they should introduce a rule of 'AirAmboTage' to keep everyone happy?
At least the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the SAR assets were kept free though eh?
At least the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the SAR assets were kept free though eh?
Hellimut
Your assumption is logical but misplaced. We do not make money out of these transfers, indeed we have to subsidise them because commonly the NHS can't or won't pay. I and many others have never asked for nor received any salary or remuneration.
I would be delighted to see others enter the game as long as they are medically beneficial. Unlike adult HEMS we have a lot of good research on the effects of rotary transportation on the neonate. We understand how to do it safely, it's benefits and risks. We have published national guidelines in the UK. We continue to press for these facilities to be available to all that need them, funded by central government as is the rest of their treatment as opposed to whether some charity has raised enough money. That goal will never be achieved if patients are moved who do not justify such expenditure, if patients come to harm, or if subsequent research rubbishes inter hospital rotary transportation because the system has failed to select properly.
I have never posted about the financial issues raised here. I would love to see a proper paediatric transfer system because these patients do need dedicated aircraft, dedicated equipment and dedicated staff. A military aircraft is nigh impossible to provide a safe environment to a neonate in an incubator due to noise, vibration, lack of dedicated equipment and specialised monitoring. My concern is that to date TAAS may not have helped the cause.
Your assumption is logical but misplaced. We do not make money out of these transfers, indeed we have to subsidise them because commonly the NHS can't or won't pay. I and many others have never asked for nor received any salary or remuneration.
I would be delighted to see others enter the game as long as they are medically beneficial. Unlike adult HEMS we have a lot of good research on the effects of rotary transportation on the neonate. We understand how to do it safely, it's benefits and risks. We have published national guidelines in the UK. We continue to press for these facilities to be available to all that need them, funded by central government as is the rest of their treatment as opposed to whether some charity has raised enough money. That goal will never be achieved if patients are moved who do not justify such expenditure, if patients come to harm, or if subsequent research rubbishes inter hospital rotary transportation because the system has failed to select properly.
I have never posted about the financial issues raised here. I would love to see a proper paediatric transfer system because these patients do need dedicated aircraft, dedicated equipment and dedicated staff. A military aircraft is nigh impossible to provide a safe environment to a neonate in an incubator due to noise, vibration, lack of dedicated equipment and specialised monitoring. My concern is that to date TAAS may not have helped the cause.
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
Helimutt;
So you see nothing wrong with a 'charity run' 109 flying for more than two and a half hours for a 15 min transfer, when 'E' Flight would have been in the air for 30 minutes for the same 15 minute transfer 
One job in 6 months...how much longer would you like us to keep shtum?
As for tasking a SAR S61 to do the job of a 109? Really?
Why not see how this operation runs for a while before knocking it?
My apologies, I was under the impression the aircraft is a dedicated fit for children, and carrying specialist medical teams for children only. Aso that it had only just recently started ops.
Personally I think its a good idea but I guess I need to go read up on the whole thing.
I'll go sit back under my palm tree.
Personally I think its a good idea but I guess I need to go read up on the whole thing.
I'll go sit back under my palm tree.
Last edited by helimutt; 18th May 2013 at 17:40.
More on the folk who run TCAA
Charity Commission finds failings in the Air Ambulance Service
(Mods - I've tried linking using the article's "share this article" function but it doesn't seem to work. If I'm in breach of their - or PPRuNe's - rules re linking/sharing, please would you remove the text below? Thanks)
Herewith the text from the above article:
The Charity Commission has concluded that there were serious governance failings at the Air Ambulance Charity after it ran a fundraising event that lost £111,000 and made a loan of £27,000 to its deputy chief executive.
A case report published by the commission today into charity, which runs air ambulance services covering Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland and the Children’s Air Ambulance, says that received complaints about the 2012 fundraising event, the loan - which the board was only told about after it was made - and a lack of oversight by the charity’s trustees.
The failed fundraising event in 2012 involved the charity buying up seats for the London premiere of The Bodyguard theatre production, which it hoped to sell to raise funds.
The commission said it found the event lost about £111,000 and concluded that it was "poorly planned and failed to apply proper project management methodology". The regulator also said the charity had failed to make adequate risk or due diligence assessments.
The trustees contended that while the event was unsuccessful in raising funds, it had helped to raise the charity’s profile and identify future donors.
"Nevertheless, we concluded that the processes in place for managing the event were significantly inadequate and that this amounted to a serious failure on the part of trustees," the commission said.
The regulator said that the legal basis for the £27,000 loan to a senior employee at the charity, who is not named in the commission’s report, was unclear. It said that the trustee board, which found out about the loan after it had been made by the charity’s chief executive and chair, were unable to provide evidence of any advice they had received on the loan.
The charity’s most recent accounts on the Charity Commission’s website, which cover 2013, say that Alexandra Pope, director of people and organisational management and deputy chief executive at the charity, received the loan to "secure her continuing employment".
The accounts say the loan, which is guaranteed by Andy Williamson, chief executive of the charity, accrues interest of 0.6 per cent per annum and is repayable over five years from June 2013.
The charity said it had phoned the regulator’s helpline to discuss the loan, but the commission said that the helpline only provides generic advice and if a charity required a formal view on an important decision it should put the request in writing.
"Charities may only apply funds in a way that helps them further their purposes for the public benefit and in the best interests of their beneficiaries," the regulator’s report said.
The commission also said that the trustees "did not exercise sufficient controls over the chief executive in relation to the two incidents" and that they appeared over-reliant on the chief executive and the chair, John Williams, who was not named in the report.
"This led to the serious incidents, including the failed fundraising event," the commission’s report said.
"We also established that the relationship between the chief executive and chair was such that they did not sufficiently involve the trustee board as a whole, instead making a strategic decision – namely concerning the loan to a staff member – that should have been for the board to make, between themselves. This amounted to a serious governance failure."
The regulator said it met the charity’s trustees and subsequently issued an action plan with which trustees were making good progress.
A spokesman for The Air Ambulance Service said of the failed fundraising event: "2012 was a record year for fundraising for TAAS and this was the only event not to make a profit in its own right, but it did serve as a useful profile-raising exercise and an opportunity to attract new supporters and volunteers on a long-term basis.
"TAAS now has in place an experienced fundraising team and a robust strategy to ensure each event is profitable in its own right."
He said the loan was a one-off and had been made to a "valuable employee facing unforeseen personal circumstances". It earned interest and came with a guarantor, so there was no financial risk to the charity, he said; it was made by the chair, chief executive and finance director with the approval of the charity’s finance committee.
The second paragraph seems to have several key words missing - perhaps proof-reading is a forgotten art at thirdsector.co.uk. However, the rest of the article provides a pretty clear picture of the Commission's findings.
(Mods - I've tried linking using the article's "share this article" function but it doesn't seem to work. If I'm in breach of their - or PPRuNe's - rules re linking/sharing, please would you remove the text below? Thanks)
Herewith the text from the above article:
The Charity Commission has concluded that there were serious governance failings at the Air Ambulance Charity after it ran a fundraising event that lost £111,000 and made a loan of £27,000 to its deputy chief executive.
A case report published by the commission today into charity, which runs air ambulance services covering Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland and the Children’s Air Ambulance, says that received complaints about the 2012 fundraising event, the loan - which the board was only told about after it was made - and a lack of oversight by the charity’s trustees.
The failed fundraising event in 2012 involved the charity buying up seats for the London premiere of The Bodyguard theatre production, which it hoped to sell to raise funds.
The commission said it found the event lost about £111,000 and concluded that it was "poorly planned and failed to apply proper project management methodology". The regulator also said the charity had failed to make adequate risk or due diligence assessments.
The trustees contended that while the event was unsuccessful in raising funds, it had helped to raise the charity’s profile and identify future donors.
"Nevertheless, we concluded that the processes in place for managing the event were significantly inadequate and that this amounted to a serious failure on the part of trustees," the commission said.
The regulator said that the legal basis for the £27,000 loan to a senior employee at the charity, who is not named in the commission’s report, was unclear. It said that the trustee board, which found out about the loan after it had been made by the charity’s chief executive and chair, were unable to provide evidence of any advice they had received on the loan.
The charity’s most recent accounts on the Charity Commission’s website, which cover 2013, say that Alexandra Pope, director of people and organisational management and deputy chief executive at the charity, received the loan to "secure her continuing employment".
The accounts say the loan, which is guaranteed by Andy Williamson, chief executive of the charity, accrues interest of 0.6 per cent per annum and is repayable over five years from June 2013.
The charity said it had phoned the regulator’s helpline to discuss the loan, but the commission said that the helpline only provides generic advice and if a charity required a formal view on an important decision it should put the request in writing.
"Charities may only apply funds in a way that helps them further their purposes for the public benefit and in the best interests of their beneficiaries," the regulator’s report said.
The commission also said that the trustees "did not exercise sufficient controls over the chief executive in relation to the two incidents" and that they appeared over-reliant on the chief executive and the chair, John Williams, who was not named in the report.
"This led to the serious incidents, including the failed fundraising event," the commission’s report said.
"We also established that the relationship between the chief executive and chair was such that they did not sufficiently involve the trustee board as a whole, instead making a strategic decision – namely concerning the loan to a staff member – that should have been for the board to make, between themselves. This amounted to a serious governance failure."
The regulator said it met the charity’s trustees and subsequently issued an action plan with which trustees were making good progress.
A spokesman for The Air Ambulance Service said of the failed fundraising event: "2012 was a record year for fundraising for TAAS and this was the only event not to make a profit in its own right, but it did serve as a useful profile-raising exercise and an opportunity to attract new supporters and volunteers on a long-term basis.
"TAAS now has in place an experienced fundraising team and a robust strategy to ensure each event is profitable in its own right."
He said the loan was a one-off and had been made to a "valuable employee facing unforeseen personal circumstances". It earned interest and came with a guarantor, so there was no financial risk to the charity, he said; it was made by the chair, chief executive and finance director with the approval of the charity’s finance committee.
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Liverpool based Geordie, so calm down, calm down kidda!!
Age: 60
Posts: 2,051
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes
on
6 Posts
Interesting reading, is this the same outfit that the BBC did an expose on, involving the chief hiring Strictly Come Dancing Cast to give lessons to his staff? Genuine question by the way, I don't know if it was them.
Edited, google is your friend, yes it was them, don't they ever learn.........
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21290338
Edited, google is your friend, yes it was them, don't they ever learn.........
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21290338
They're advertising on telly now. Of course, they may have been doing this for a long time, and I don't watch much TV. It was on the True Drama channel at half-ten on a Saturday morning (today), and I wonder how much a slot costs.
Can't remember ever seeing a TV advert for any other AA outfit.
Can't remember ever seeing a TV advert for any other AA outfit.
