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Winners! The nation’s finest clinicians, aviators and fundraisers
are celebrated at the Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence
Over 250 guests celebrated
the best and brightest from
the air ambulance community
last night at the national
Air Ambulance Awards of
Excellence 2016.
Awards hosts, BBC News reporter
and presenter Sophie Long and
Helicopter Heroes presenter Rav
Wilding handed out 11 Awards to
outstanding individuals and teams,
whose stories were inspirational,
astonishing and humbling. The
awards, which are independently
judged, went to pilots, paramedics,
doctors, fundraisers and volunteers
who collected their trophies at a
ceremony held in central London
last night.
An enthusiastic audience listened
to the remarkable stories of each
shortlisted nominee, all of whom
demonstrated excellence and
commitment well above and beyond
the call of duty. Every winner was
cheered to and from the stage, not
least 6 year old Isobel Pilsworth,
winner of the Outstanding Young
Air ambulance chief executive condemns pranksters who blinded
flying medic with laser
The head of the Wales Air
Ambulance has condemned
pranksters who shone a
laser beam into the cockpit
of its helicopter as it flew
on an emergency mission,
temporarily blinding its onboard
doctor.
The aircraft was attending an
emergency call on the evening of
Saturday 5 November (Bonfire
Night) when it was targeted several
times over Swansea by an apparently
commercial-strength laser beam.
The aircraft’s flying doctor was
temporarily blinded in the incident,
from which he took several days to
recover.
Person Award, whose incredible
fundraising activities after her Dad
survived a cardiac arrest captured
the hearts of the audience.
Chair of the Judging Panel, Jim
Fitzpatrick MP, said: “The stories we
heard about the work being done by
the nation’s air ambulance services
were truly remarkable. What a tonic
these stories are in turbulent political
times. I would like to congratulate
every single one of the nominees
and send a message to the winners
of the Awards that they truly are
examples of what can be achieved
through teamwork, expertise,
courage and determination.”
Below is a list of all the winners:
Air Ambulance Campaign Award
WINNER: Hampshire and Isle of
Wight Air Ambulance
Sponsor: Lottery Fundraising
Services
Charity Staff Member of the Year
WINNER: Susie Croft
Sponsor: Milestone Aviation Group
Ltd
Video footage captured the moment
the green laser beam illuminated the
inside of the cockpit.
The video file captured by the
on-board camera, has now been
provided to South Wales Police.
Wales Air Ambulance chief executive
Angela Hughes said: “Our aircraft
was flying a rescue mission and the
Charity Volunteer of the Year
WINNER: Jamie Edghill
Sponsor: Tower Lotteries
Air Ambulance Doctor of the Year
WINNER: Dr Mark Wilson
Sponsor: Leonardo Helicopters
Innovation of the Year Award
WINNER: Devon Air Ambulance
Trust
Sponsor: Sloane Helicopters
Lifetime Achievement Award
WINNER: Alastair Wilson
Sponsor: Specialist Aviation
Services
doctor on board was temporarily
blinded. This could have been
catastrophic. People get laser burns
to their eyes and are blinded for life.
It is beyond belief how anyone thinks
it is clever to do this.”
“The pilot managed to avert his eyes
in time and could carry on flying the
aircraft.”
Air Ambulance Paramedic of the Year
WINNER: Erica Ley
Sponsor: BMW Government and
Authorities Division
Air Ambulance Pilot of the Year
WINNER: Steven Norris
Sponsor: Safran UK
Special Incident Award
WINNER: Wales Air Ambulance
Sponsor: Airbus Helicopters
Outstanding Young Person Award
WINNER: Isobel Pilsworth
Sponsor: Babcock MCS Onshore
AAA Chairman’s Award
WINNER: Bill Sivewright
The incident happened after
dark on Bonfire Night, as the air
ambulance was returning to its base
in Dafen, Llanelli, following a call-out
in Cardiff.
She added: “The aircraft was flying
at 2,500 ft over Swansea Bay. The
fact a laser reached it at that height
shows the beam was much stronger
than any produced by a standard
pen laser.
“Someone set out deliberately to
try to disable our aircraft.
Benzodiazepine and related drug use increases hip fractures
in persons with Alzheimer’s disease
The use of benzodiazepines
and related drugs increases
the risk of hip fracture by 43%
in persons with Alzheimer’s
disease, according to a new
study from the University
of Eastern Finland. The hip
fracture risk was investigated
in community-dwelling Finnish
persons with Alzheimer’s
disease.
In total, 21% of persons with
Alzheimer’s disease initiated
benzodiazepine and related drug
use during the study. During
benzodiazepine and related drug
use, 2.5 hip fractures occurred per
100 person-years whereas without
drug use, the incidence was 1.4 hip
fractures per 100 person-years.
The use of benzodiazepines and
related drugs increased the hip
fracture risk especially during the
first six months of drug use. There
was no difference within the drug
group, as benzodiazepines increased
the hip fracture risk as much as
benzodiazepine-related drugs.
Additionally, long-term hospital
stays exceeding four months after
hip fracture were more common
in persons with Alzheimer’s disease
who used benzodiazepines and
related drugs at the time of hip
fracture than in persons who did
not use such drugs.
Treatment guidelines in different
countries recommend that
behavioral and psychological
symptoms of dementia should be
treated with nonpharmacological
options. Benzodiazepines and
related drugs can be used in
infrequent or short-term treatment
of symptoms. The results of this
study highlight the importance
of the guidelines to avoid
adverse events associated with
“We have passed the video footage
to South Wales Police and I appeal
to anyone who knows who did this
to contact the police.”
benzodiazepine and related drug
use.
The study was based on the
MEDALZ (MEDication use and
ALZheimer’s disease) cohort,
including all Finnish persons
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease
between 2005 and 2011, amounting
to 70,718 persons. This study
involved 46,373 persons who had
no history of hip fractures and
who had not used benzodiazepines
and related drugs during the year
preceding the study. The follow-up
time in the study was up to five
years.
Email: mediapack2017@ambulancetoday.co.uk to get your free Ambulance Today 2017 digital media pack
Winter 2016 | Ambulancetoday
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