Kent Air Ambulance Week: September 5 - September 11.

NEXT month the Kent Air Ambulance celebrates their commitment and dedication to saving lives with their first awareness week.

During the next three weeks, the Kent Messenger Group will be giving you a chance to find out more about the heroic team of life-savers, read the incredible stories of the people they have saved and introduce you to the team who work effortlessly behind the scenes.

WHILE most of the world was quaffing champagne and thinking about New Year resolutions on millennium eve, David Philpott made a decision which would not only change the course of his own life but also have knock on effect for the 1.3 million people living in Kent.

The Kent Air Ambulance chief executive was working in northern Tanzania, working with lepers and children with HIV and AIDS, but as the clock edged towards midnight he decided to steer his life in a different direction.

He said: "I had reached a critical point in my life doing this great job, but sitting on a rock in the jungle I wondered if I wanted to spend the rest of my life lost in Africa, doing something very valuable but netherless out of circulation, as it were.

"There and then I made the decision to return to England."

As the clock rang in a new millennium Mr Philpott made the decision to return to England and joined the Essex Radio Group, working on community fund-raising projects.

He added: "It was whilst working in radio that I realised that the newly-launched air ambulance appeal was the kind of exciting, sexy cause that the radio station’s audiences wanted to support."

In 2001, Mr Philpott joined the charity and was responsible for getting a new generation EC135 helicopter, which was launched in May 2003.

He stayed there until summer 2003 before leaving to join the ailing Kent Air Ambulance, which was making a loss a loss of £300,000 a year.

"It was hard leaving something I loved doing in Essex behind, but I knew it was the right time to go," he said.

"Joining the Kent Air Ambulance was a baptism of fire, but it was worth it. This is a great place to work and I have a wonderful team here.

"Everyone really believes in the work of the Air Ambulance and strives to do their best."

But even though some might think it wrong for the life-saving charity to rely on the generosity of the public to fund their services, Mr Philpott and his team believe they can give a better service independently of the Government without being overshadowed by targets.

He said: "We are the lifeboats of the 21st century. I think it does something good for the people to support something that the Government doesn’t pay for.

"The public love coming up here to give us a donation and find out exactly what their money will be used for."

During his two years the forward thinker has revolutionised the charity.

It was Mr Philpott’s decision to implement the first Kent Air Ambulance week to raise awareness about their work, which also includes the launch of a six-month pilot scheme to put flying doctors on board the helicopter to help patients receive the best treatment during the 'Golden Hour' as they are taken to hospital accident and emergency departments.

It is hoped the team of doctors and paramedics will ease pressure on the NHS, with the added bonus that doctors will be able to refer a critically ill patient to the most appropriate hospital from the scene of the accident, something with paramedics do not have the authority to do.

Three doctors will be recruited to take part in a clinical trial and hopefully undergo flight training with Dr Gareth Davies, founder of the London Air Ambulance.

Mr Philpott said: "What is exciting for us if that although doctors have flown before, no-one has done a clinical experiment on their benefits.

"I am confident that the strategic health authority will recognise that the enhanced service we will be providing can only contribute to better pre-hospital care in our region and significant cost savings in the health service in the long run.

"Once our clinical trials are complete I am hopeful that the SHA will look favourably upon funding the cost of the doctors’ salaries."

As well as taking doctors to the sky, the Trust is also helping to establish air ambulance services in Surrey and Sussex, but all money raised in Kent will be ring-fenced to stay in the county.