Survey Results Boost Air Ambulance Profile 

In 2009, Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) joined forces with UserViews, a local research company, and conducted two separate surveys in order to determine people’s experiences with the Charity both as a patient and as a donor. These surveys are especially ground breaking for EHAAT as it is the first time the Charity has sought patient and donor feedback.

Becky Baker and Corah Carney from UserViews commented, “We were impressed that Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust had the courage to invite honest feedback and welcomed suggestions about how they could do things better for their patients and supporters”

The Trust is delighted to report that overall, the results from both surveys were excellent with high ratings and many positive comments. One of the key findings was that patients generally feel a sense of relief at the arrival of the Air Ambulance. This result reaffirms the importance of the Air Ambulance in giving people in need of critical care a better chance of survival. 

Phil Grieve, Clinical Manager for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust said, “As a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, measuring patient satisfaction is paramount to the quality assurance process. Patient care is central to EHAAT’s ethos, the charity is more than just a helicopter; we want to reduce the suffering of critically ill and injured people in Essex and Herts and understanding the patient’s perspective is vital. Clearly many of the patients we treat are so ill that they are unaware of what is going on, but there are a significant number of patients whose perception of the service they receive is an intrinsic part of their health care. This survey has been undertaken to measure and improve quality of care and the results have been fed back to Air Crew and will form part of new staff training.”

Jane Gurney, Executive Director for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust adds, “Overall, the feedback we received from respondents was very positive and showed high levels of satisfaction from donors and patients and a willingness to continue to support the charity in the future. Many respondents gave positive comments about their experiences with staff and Air Crew, duly praising them for their professionalism. I am very proud of everyone for all their hard work; they are a credit to the Charity. Using the feedback from these surveys we will now take this opportunity to continue to improve how we communicate with our supporters and raising awareness about funding and how the Trust is entirely dependent on public donations.” 

 A summary of findings from the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust Donor Survey

 A summary of findings from the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust Patient Survey