OUR ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT

MAKING SUSTAINABLE CHOICES

Whilst current technology doesn’t enable us to make changes yet to our emergency response fleet, we are committed to making changes to our support vehicles. In 2023, we took delivery of our first green vehicle in the shape of a fully electric blood delivery van. Our Aftercare team also use an electric vehicle for essential visits with patients in the community.   

We take environmental considerations into account in major business decisions. In 2023, we brought our aviation operations in house. This means have the power and flexibility to make our own future decisions about our aircraft. 

Working with our investment providers, we are committed to managing our investments in an environmentally sustainable way. We focus on investments that provide positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) benefits, as well as the required rate of return on the funds that our community generously donates to us.

We continue to work closely with the managing teams of our premises to design, improve and operate our spaces with maximum energy and water efficiency. In 2021, four car charging spaces were introduced at our offices in Stokenchurch, and following the fire at our Headquarters in 2022, we were able to make sustainable choices during its refurbishment. This included a new process for managing the heating and cooling of our spaces.  

Without compromising on quality, we choose to work with suppliers that are conscious about their own environmental impact and local where possible. In 2024, we moved our website to a new hosting provider who run on 100% renewable energy.

Underpinning all of this, is our Environmental Policy. This details our statement of intent and our principles for protecting the environment, so that our staff are empowered to make sustainable choices in their everyday work activities. 

REDUCING OUR IMPACT WHERE POSSIBLE

Our helicopter has been modified to meet the needs of critical care including stripping out unnecessary weight, such as unused cabling, which makes the aircraft lighter and more fuel efficient.

We look to innovate using sustainable alternatives, where appropriate. In 2024, we changed the material our crews practice complex procedures on. Wherever possible, we now use something called medical pastry that we make ourselves. It replicates skin and tissue, lasting up to six weeks so it can be re-used, making it a more sustainable option.

We use, and encourage contractors to also use, cleaning products that are safer for the environment, where these suitable and effective alternatives exist.

We purchase items made from, or printed on, recycled materials wherever this is feasible and not cost-prohibitive, and consider digital alternatives where possible. For example our Annual Report and Accounts is available to access online, and print copies only provided on request. 

Alongside this we have moved to storing documents electronically wherever possible and reduced printing and photocopying. We have introduced hybrid working policies and support virtual meetings to reduce the need for non-essential travel.

By 2027 we will have reviewed all our fundraising merchandise and sought to reduce the sale of plastic and non-recyclable items, so that our community can show their support with environmentally-friendly branded items. 

COLLABORATING FOR GREATER IMPACT

We continue to work with the air ambulance, medical and aviation sectors to ensure that if, and when, more environmentally friendly options become suitable for our work, we are at the forefront of this. 

We provide facilities for extensive recycling at all our sites. By working closely with our waste partner Grundon, we measure and monitor the levels of waste that we simply cannot recycle in order to help us continue to make more informed choices.

We have a wide network of 110 textile recycling banks across our community through our partnership with Recycling Solutions. Since December 2023, this has amounted to 411 tonnes of recycled textiles sold, raising over £85,000 to support our vital work. The partnership has recently being extended to include bookable door to door collections in Oxford too.

Our travel policies encourage lift sharing and the use of public transport where possible. Employees can benefit from our Cycle to Work arrangement with The Green Initiative or take up the Electric Vehicle scheme with Fleet Evolution which was introduced in 2020.