The HELP Appeal has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening emergency care by awarding its annual £60,000 grant to the West Midlands Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency (CARE) Team, helping it to continue delivering advanced pre-hospital emergency care to critically ill and injured patients across the West Midlands.
The HELP Appeal, based in Walsall, is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads, ensuring air ambulances can transfer patients directly to specialist hospital care. Alongside this work, the charity supports organisations that enhance emergency medicine and improve patient outcomes, recognising that the patient’s journey begins long before they arrive at hospital.
The West Midlands CARE Team plays a vital role in that journey. Working in partnership with the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust (WMAS), its volunteer doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare professionals provide enhanced clinical care at the scene of serious medical emergencies in their free time, bringing advanced hospital-level interventions directly to patients when every second counts.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:
“The HELP Appeal is committed to improving every stage of patients’ emergency care, from the moment specialist clinicians arrive at the scene through to direct admission to hospital via a helipad. Supporting organisations like the West Midlands CARE Team is an important part of that commitment.
“The team’s highly skilled volunteers provide exceptional clinical care in the most challenging circumstances, delivering advanced treatments that can make the difference between life and death. We are delighted to continue our long-standing support with this annual £60,000 grant, helping ensure they can continue providing this outstanding service to communities across the West Midlands.”
Responding alongside WMAS, the CARE Team deploys specialist rapid response vehicles, one of which the HELP Appeal has also funded, staffed by experienced volunteer clinicians. Each team includes a Clinical Lead, Clinical Support clinician and an emergency response driver, enabling them to deliver advanced care safely and efficiently before patients reach hospital.
Their expertise allows them to perform interventions usually only available in emergency departments, including advanced airway management, procedural sedation, advanced pain relief, pre-hospital ultrasound, mechanical chest compressions, clot-busting therapy during cardiac arrest and life-saving surgical procedures.
The charity has also been at the forefront of innovation in pre-hospital emergency medicine. It successfully piloted the region’s first advanced cardiac arrest response platform, becoming the first enhanced care service in the West Midlands to routinely use mechanical chest compression devices alongside pre-hospital ultrasound. The success of the pilot led to the commissioning of a charity-funded critical care paramedic response vehicle, helping to improve advanced cardiac arrest care across the central Midlands.
A spokesperson for the West Midlands CARE Team said:
“We are incredibly grateful to the HELP appeal for this generous donation, which will have a direct and meaningful impact on the lifesaving care we provide. This support strengthens our ability to deliver specialist medical assistance to the most sick and injured individuals across our community and we are truly thankful for the trust and commitment shown to our volunteer‑led service.”
Since 2009, the HELP Appeal has donated millions of pounds to projects that improve emergency care, funding NHS hospital helipads, air ambulance bases, critical care cars and medical equipment that enables critically ill and injured patients to be treated quickly. By continuing to support organisations such as the West Midlands CARE Team, the HELP Appeal is helping to strengthen the entire emergency care pathway, from the roadside to hospital, ensuring patients receive the best possible care at every stage of their journey.
