New paramedics join air ambulance ranks to boost life-saving efforts across area
A new cohort of paramedics have joined the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance ranks, further strengthening the charity’s commitment to delivering the highest standard of pre-hospital emergency medicine for patients across the region.
Alongside their pilot, dispatcher and doctor colleagues, the charity’s advanced paramedics respond to seriously ill and injured patients 365 days a year – both on the helicopter and as part of the critical care paramedic response car. These teams are most frequently called to cardiac arrest related incidents, road traffic collisions and other serious medical incidents.
Joining the service are two experienced road paramedics and two secondee paramedics on placement all commencing their advanced training – and a further four critical care paramedics already highly qualified at an advanced level – who start later in the year. This blend of experience and fresh expertise enhances the service’s readiness to respond to the most serious emergencies across the region, while also investing in the future of critical care.
The paramedics will be supported through a structured Advance Paramedic (critical care) training pathway, gaining advanced skills in trauma management, sedation, aviation and critical care decision-making.
One of the new recruits, Robyn Painting, who qualified as a paramedic in 2019, said: “I have always loved being a paramedic and find it most rewarding treating time-critical patients, which is what drew me to joining Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
“Training to become a critical care paramedic will undoubtedly be challenging. There is so much to learn, from advanced clinical skills to aviation. However, I’m excited by the opportunity to challenge myself. I am really looking forward to the professional development opportunities and to learn alongside such a skilled and highly motivated team. Getting to fly in a helicopter is an added perk of the role.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is raising money to relocate its operating base from Thruxton, Andover, to Southampton Airport. The charity has raised £2.7 million of its £3.6 million target. It is hoped the service will begin operating from its new base in Spring 2026.
Nick Gray, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Paramedic Clinical Lead, said: “This is an incredibly exciting and important time in the charity’s history. Our airbase relocation and recent paramedic recruitment underscore our continued commitment to growing our service and achieving the best possible outcomes for every critically ill and seriously injured patient across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“We’re extremely grateful to everyone in our community whose support funds training, equipment and the operational readiness of the service.”
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance was recently awarded 'outstanding' following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.