Devon Air Ambulance grounded

Cars replace choppers

Devon Air Ambulance helicopters have been grounded, due to the risk posed by coronavirus.

Pilots cannot operate the aircraft while wearing personal protective equipment, and that has been called an “unacceptable risk” by the CEO.

In a statement, Devon Air Ambulance said it “will temporarily be responding to patients solely by critical care car but its critical care paramedics will still be able to respond to patients with their specialist skills and equipment.”

Heléna Holt, CEO, said: “Standing down our aircraft has been a very difficult decision for us to make but one we have had to take in order to protect all of our crew.”

She added “Whilst the paramedics wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when treating and conveying patients, our pilots cannot operate the aircraft wearing PPE.

"They also cannot maintain a 2 metre distance between them and the patient. As we have no way of knowing whether a patient has coronavirus, this leaves them completely exposed within a small confined space. We hope our community will understand that this is an unacceptable risk.

"Please be assured that this is a temporary measure and subject to continual review. We will be working with colleagues in the NHS to identify other ways in which we can support the pandemic response as it develops.

"I would like to thank all of our supporters not just for the donations but also for their messages of support during this extremely challenging time. We will do our best to maintain our service and keep being there for patients, albeit by road not air.”