Southwark had the third highest number of London air ambulance call-outs last year, new data reveals.
Stats released by the service reveal that it treated 83 patients in Southwark across 2019, only behind the boroughs of Westminster, Haringey and Lambeth.
In the year, trauma specialists from the air ambulance treated 1,730 patients – with nearly a third of the cases being stabbings or shootings.
Other key causes of an air ambulance call were traffic accidents, falls from height and heart attacks.
“Critical injury from road traffic incidents, falls from height, assaults and other injuries are the biggest killer of people aged under 40,” said the service’s medical director, Dr Tom Hurst.
“We have a proud history of pioneering new ways to save lives and have developed groundbreaking treatments that mean people who would have died at the scene of the incident a few years ago are now surviving.”
Among these groundbreaking techniques include the use of a technology which allows live-streaming video from any 999 caller’s phone to see the patient.
The Air Ambulance is funded primarily through donations, but is jointly supported by the Barts Health NHS Trust and the London Ambulance Service.
Barts Trust provides doctors and helipads, while LAS provide paramedics and emergency infrastructure.