Magpas

Magpas Air Ambulance is a registered charity that operates a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) dedicated to the seriously ill and injured in the East of England.

Founded in 1971, the charity operates a helicopter and three rapid response vehicles from its base in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. As of 2022, their staff consists of 65 employees and 40 volunteers. They are dispatched by both the East of England Ambulance Service and the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

20th Century
Magpas Air Ambulance was founded in 1971 by Dr. Neville Silverston and Dr. Derek Cracknell as the Mid Anglia General Practitioner Accident Service (MAGPAS). Its name derives from its close historical and geographical association with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, then known as the Mid-Anglia Constabulary. The service was originally offered by general practitioners from across Cambridgeshire to provide quick medical care to victims of road accidents. The organisation became a registered charity in 1972.

In 1977, Magpas Air Ambulance contributed to the founding of the British Association for Immediate Care, of which the charity remains a member. In 1997, the charity entered a partnership with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary to use the police helicopter from RAF Wyton, near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. In 1999, the charity became the first service in the region to provide a night-time helicopter emergency medical service.

21st Century
In 2007, the East Anglian Air Ambulance agreed to provide a helicopter, dubbed Anglia Two, to be operate from RAF Wyton for daytime missions. Although this was withdrawn in 2010, Magpas Air Ambulance continued to provide the service in conjunction with the police.

Between 2000 and 2010, the charity developed a network of community first responder schemes across Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. These local volunteers were trained by Magpas Air Ambulance to respond to medical emergencies in their local area and treat the patient until the ambulance service arrived. In 2010, the Magpas Air Ambulance first responders were joined alongside other schemes under the leadership of the East of England Ambulance Trust, though the charity's volunteers were dropped in the same year.

In 2012, Magpas Air Ambulance began flying with its own helicopter.

Magpas Air Ambulance was registered with the Healthcare Commission and was inspected by the Care Quality Commission in March 2014. This looks at the charity's governance and care quality to ensure it meets national standards. In 2015, Magpas Air Ambulance announced that they would extend their hours of operation to 24/7 in 2016. Although the helicopter is not available at all times, this makes them the first air ambulance charity in the East of England region to offer 24/7 helicopter emergency medical service.

Research
In partnership with the University Hospital of Leicester, Magpas Air Ambulance runs CTARP (the Cambridge Trauma and Audit Research Project). This project looks to identify lessons from all cases of traumatic injury occurring in Cambridgeshire. This can then be used to improve the quality of care and examine ways to prevent incidents in the first place.

Awards and nominations
In 2005, Magpas was awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service. In 2022, clinicians from Magpas and the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) won the 999 Hero category in The Sun’s Who Cares Wins awards. In 2023 Magpas was granted the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for its support of Armed Forces personnel.

Facts and figures

 * In the year ending June 2022, the charity reported an income of £6.5million, which included £1.3M of government grants. Expenditure was £5.6M, of which £4.2M was spent on operating the air ambulance service.
 * In 2022, the charity employed 65 people and had 40 volunteers.