Ambulance UK - April 2020

NEWSLINE
WAA
Timely achievement
for Wiltshire
Air Ambulance
paramedic Craig
Newly qualified Wiltshire
Air Ambulance critical care
paramedic Craig Wilkins is
celebrating his promotion in both
his and the service’s 30th year.
Craig was almost two months old
when Wiltshire Air Ambulance
began operating full time in
March 1990 sharing a helicopter
with Wiltshire Police. The
charity became a stand-alone
air ambulance using its own
helicopter in January 2015.
Craig, who lives in Bath, has
worked at Wiltshire Air Ambulance
since July 2017 and said he is
proud to be part of the team.
“I love working at Wiltshire Air
Ambulance – it is my dream job.
I’m very proud to achieve my
ambition of qualifying as a critical
care paramedic and to do it in
my 30th year and Wiltshire Air
Ambulance’s 30th year is really
special. The service has saved
a generation of people over the
last 30 years and, along with my
colleagues, I’m using my medical
skills to help save the next
generation,“ he said.
Craig met some of the former
crew members of Wiltshire Air
Ambulance and Wiltshire Police
when they visited Wiltshire Air
Ambulance’s airbase recently.
Many of them served on the
helicopter in the early 1990s.
Craig said: “It was such an honour
to meet them. I was at nursery
school when they were working on
the shared helicopter!
“Regardless of the skill set and
the change from having a joint
helicopter to Wiltshire having its
own air ambulance, the mindset
is the same among the former
and current crew. There is that
underlying passion and drive to
provide the best care to patients.
“Wiltshire Air Ambulance was
formed because there was
a clear need to provide prehospital
emergency care to
people who suffer life-threatening
injury or illness and require rapid
transport to hospital. Throughout
its existence Wiltshire
Air Ambulance has been
progressive in how it delivers
care to patients.”
As a specialist paramedic in
critical care Craig can give
advanced drugs for pain relief
and sedation, give pre-hospital
blood transfusions and carry
out surgical interventions at the
scene of medical and trauma
emergencies.
He said: “Being a critical care
paramedic opens up my scope
of practice so I can provide
a higher standard of care to
patients. When I attend patients
they are my world – they are my
responsibility and I treat them
as if they are my own family
ensuring they receive the best
possible care.”
Craig joined Wiltshire Air
Ambulance when the aircrew
and helicopter and the charity
team were based on different
sites. The following year both
teams began working under the
same roof when the charity’s
purpose-built airbase, in
Semington, near Melksham,
opened.
Craig said: “Having a purposebuilt
airbase is so much better
for everyone. Having both teams
on one site has meant we have
been able to get to know each
other. Our understanding of how
the charity works has increased
and vice versa with the charity
team understanding how the
operational team works. This
means that we work harder and
support each other as a result.“
Wiltshire Air Ambulance relies on
donations from the community,
businesses and grant-making
trusts to continue its lifesaving
work.
Craig said: “Our volunteers
are amazing people, giving up
their time to spread the word
about what we do and helping
to fundraise. We are also really
lucky to have so much support
from people from all over
Wiltshire, from all walks of life.
“Every penny in a collection
tin is helping to fund Wiltshire
Air Ambulance and I am very
mindful that we are only able
to do what we do thanks to
everyone who fundraises or
donates to the charity.”
AMBULANCE UK - APRIL
Craig Wilkins, critical care paramedic at Wiltshire Air Ambulance
Before he joined Wiltshire Air
Ambulance Craig worked for
six years as a land ambulance
paramedic based at Bath
Ambulance Station. He was also
a learning development officer
with South Western Ambulance
Service NHS Foundation Trust,
a role which included training
emergency care assistants and
paramedics.
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For further recruitment vacancies visit: www.ambulanceukonline.com