London’s Air Ambulance treated 1806 patients in 2014. The charity has today released its mission statistics for 2014 in a bid to raise awareness and reach out for vital funding towards a second helicopter and to extend daylight flying hours.

Key statistics include:

Busiest boroughs included Westminster (120 patients treated), Tower Hamlets (104 patients treated) and Hackney (101 patients treated)
Busiest postcodes included N1 (41 patients treated ), E14, NW10 and SE1 (33 patients treated)
Of the 1806 patients treated, the mechanisms of injury were:

– 33% road traffic collisions
– 27% Falls
– 24% stabbings and shootings
– 16% Other (including incidents on the rail networks, hangings and drownings)

You can view the full mission map at bit.ly/2014MissionMap

Graham Hodgkin, CEO of London’s Air Ambulance, said: “While our statistics show that we were busier in some areas of London than others, trauma can happen to anyone, anywhere at any time. Trauma doesn’t have a postcode and neither do we. By releasing these statistics today we are hoping to raise awareness of that fact and that the charity is here to serve everyone in London.

“ We are currently raising money for a vital second helicopter and to extend our daylight flying hours through the Your London, Your Helicopter campaign and we need people to get behind this biggest fundraising drive to date. If everyone in London donated just £5 today we could have your helicopter in the air by the summer . Please Text HELICOPTER to 70800 to donate £5 now or visit yourhelicopter.london.”

London’s Air Ambulance is calling on the people and organisations of London to join together in owning the solution to London’s vital need for a second emergency medical helicopter. In our largest ever fundraising drive, the ‘Your London, Your Helicopter’ campaign is hoping to raise the remaining £4.4 million needed to acquire and sustain a second helicopter and extend its daylight flying hours for five years. We are urging the 10 million people who live, work and holiday in the capital to donate, whether £5 or £500 at yourhelicopter.london or Text HELICOPTER to 70800 to donate £5 now.

London’s Air Ambulance delivers an advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London 24/7, using a helicopter by day and rapid response cars at night or in adverse weather conditions. In 2014 the London’s Air Ambulance helicopter was offline for maintenance for 55 days in total. Through the acquisition of a second helicopter and by extending our daylight flying hours in the summer months, we will be able to reach an estimated 400 more patients per year by aircraft. By having a helicopter available at all times, it will also give London greater resilience during major incidents.

The total cost of acquiring and sustaining a second helicopter, and extending daylight flying hours over five years is £6 million. Last year the charity was awarded £1million from the LIBOR fund by Chancellor George Osborne and a further £600,000 has been raised from companies, charitable trusts and individual donors. The ‘Your London, Your Helicopter’ campaign hopes to raise the remaining £4.4 million from the people and organisations of London by July this year. The charity hopes to be in a position to have a second helicopter operational by summer 2015.