Effect of the Cornwall Helicopter Ambulance on Ambulance Service Emergency Response Time

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether availability of the Cornwall Helicopter Ambulance enabled the ambulance service to arrive more rapidly at the scene of emergencies. DESIGN: Retrospectively collected ambulance service data analyzed longitudinally. SETTING: The ambulance service in Cornwall. SUBJECTS: Patients carried as emergencies by the ambulance service. VARIABLE STUDIED: Augmentation of a county ambulance service by a Helicopter Ambulance. OUTCOME MEASURE: Ambulance 'response times'. RESULTS: A small improvement in the ambulance service's overall ability to respond to emergency calls was observed. CONCLUSION: Availability of the Helicopter Ambulance marginally improved the ambulance service's response times. It is doubtful if these improved response times were of any clinical significance. More conventional and less expensive means of improving ambulance service performance should be considered by a Health Authority or ambulance service before a helicopter ambulance is deployed.