Air Ambulance launches 24-hour service to benefit West Sussex

Until yesterday (Wednesday December 18), the service could only fly by daylight and operated between 7am and 7pm.

However, charity research showed there were between 400 and 500 patients per year that would benefit from a night service.

Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust chairman Anthony Monteuuis said: “This is a hugely expensive step and we have taken the greatest care to devise a service that is as robust and as safe as possible for everyone flying in the helicopter whether it’s the patients or crew.

“The people of Kent, Surrey and Sussex are better served from this moment forward than they have in the past.”

Each year, the medical teams attend about 1,500 missions and treat about 1,000 patients.