Great North Air Ambulance Service now operating 24/7 service in Northumberland

The charity has expanded its night service, which involves medics responding to callouts by car.

Dr Chris Smith, medical director at Great North Air Ambulance Service, said: “This means every night we will have a paramedic and doctor team on a rapid response vehicle ready to deliver care to the people in the North East.

“The car carries the same equipment as our aircraft so we can deliver blood, anaesthetic procedures, and other advanced treatments that are normally delivered while operating on the helicopter.”

The night service was first commissioned for Friday and Saturday nights in 2015 before being expanded an additional two nights in 2018.

Further donations are required to sustain the expanded service, as the air ambulance receives no government funding and costs £7.7million to run annually.

Chief executive officer David Stockton said: “Becoming a 24/7 service has been a long-term goal of the charity, and a personal ambition of myself, so we are very proud to finally see it come to fruition in the North East.

“We are grateful for everyone who has either donated or fundraised for our charity over the last 20 years, as they have enabled us to reach this fantastic milestone, among many other significant milestones along the way.

“We understand that times are tough for many people at the moment and that there are so many worthy causes, but if you value the work that we do and are able then please consider supporting us to ensure we can continue saving people’s lives and keeping families together across the region.”