A Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) team from Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) took their expertise to Aarhus University in Denmark recently to address an international audience of students and clinical experts on how the life-saving Charity operates to bring cutting-edge medical treatment to the pre-hospital scene.

More than 250 delegates attended the University’s conference, organised by the Student’s Anaesthesiology and Traumatology Society (SATS), which took place on 24-26 September 2015.

EHAAT’s Dr Naomi Pritchard and Clinical Managers, Ben Myer and Laurie Phillipson, gave lectures and delivered training scenarios on the UK Response to Major Incidents, Catastrophic Haemorrhage and Preparation of trauma patients for transport.

Takwa Aroankins of SATS, Aarhus University said: “We invited colleagues with an interest in Critical Care to hear about the work of these leading British helicopter Doctors and Paramedics. The United Kingdom is known to apply the most inventive and frontline medical interventions in the pre-hospital environment, where most procedures still are not known in other countries, so their knowledge and insight is invaluable to clinicians around the world.”

Simon Walsh from London’s Air Ambulance also attended and gave a lecture on the application of pre-hospital Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA), which was first performed in the Pre-hospital environment by London’s Air Ambulance.

Following their lectures, the EHAAT team donned flight suits and ran a training scenario for the conference audience.  Narrated by Ben and Simon, Naomi and Laurie managed a mock scenario using a trauma manikin that involved a patient that had fallen from height with head and chest injuries.

Laurie Phillipson said: “We were delighted to be invited to speak at this event – it’s a real endorsement of the high level of clinical care we are undertaking on behalf of our patients. Here at EHAAT we are always very keen to invest our time and expertise in nurturing the pre-hospital clinicians of the future.”

Takwa gained insight into the work of EHAAT after taking part in the Charity’s student programme this summer. The programme, which has run for 2 years, brings UK and international students together to observe and learn more about the work and procedures of the HEMS teams in Essex and Hertfordshire. To date over 50 students have benefited from the programme.

Takwa added: “Through its student programme EHAAT has become a significant seat of learning for medical, paramedical and nursing students in the UK and abroad.”

In addition to participating in medical conferences, members of EHAAT’s clinical team deliver lectures at respected European conferences; and regularly lecture in pre-hospital critical care at Anglia Ruskin and Cambridge University.