The Joint District Chairmen's Charity 2020/2021

Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance

We’re right there when you need us.

At Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey, Sussex, we are always ready to provide world-class, fast-response, emergency medical care every hour of every day. Our missions have saved thousands of lives and, because we are a charity, they are only possible thanks to our amazing supporters.

30 years of KSS Air Ambulance in numbers 

£14 Million - Annual Running Costs	Area covered - 7390 square kilometres	30,000 - Total incidents attended	89% income donations and fund-raising

Who we are

Here at Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, we strive to save lives by providing the best possible care every minute of the day, every day of the year. We are an independent charity, every penny we receive is truly valued.

Last year alone, we were called out to help over 2,500 people in life-threatening conditions. We never stop innovating and improving the care we can give, which means every donation we receive is vital.

We want to make sure we are available each and every time someone needs us. For 18 hours of the day, we operate with two crews. For the remaining six, when it is quieter but there are still people out there who need us, we operate with one crew.

Our charity headquarters and forward operating base are located at Rochester Airport, with our aircraft hangared and maintained at Redhill Aerodrome. When the call comes, our aircraft can reach any part of the region within 25 minutes.

What we do

We put the people who need us at the heart of everything we do. None of us ever know when we, our family, our friends or our community may need this vital service.

At KSS, we have a team of dispatchers who screen all 999 calls. It is their job to signal to our crews that their help is needed.

Our highly skilled pilots then take over, flying the medical team safely to the scene via the most direct route. They are often challenged to land in difficult locations - irrespective of the time of day or night – to ensure our medics get there as quickly as they can.

Each mission is attended by a doctor – typically a specialist in anaesthesia or emergency medicine – and a paramedic who is trained in critical care and accustomed to challenging environments. The combination of their specialist skills means patients can be treated with world class, urgent medical care directly at the scene.

Patients may need to be placed into an induced coma to prevent further swelling from a brain injury. They may need a complex surgical procedure to enable them to breathe. They may even need an emergency blood transfusion.

All of these life-saving treatments would be demanding in a hospital environment and yet, for the medical teams at Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, they are treatments that must be administered in all weathers, sometimes at night and in fields, and in woods or on remote pathways in order to save lives.

After initial treatment, our medical teams then decide which hospital is in a position to best support the patient’s ongoing care needs, returning to the skies and transferring them in the quickest time possible.

How we are funded

We are an independent charity. It costs more than £14 million a year to sustain our world leading, cutting edge, innovative service and amazingly 89% is donated and raised by the people of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.