'It's always a privilege': What it's like to work for London's Air Ambulance at Christmas
| Date | 21 December 2020 |
| Published date | 21 December 2020 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
Lives need saving all year round, so the Air Ambulance team are still hard at work over the Christmas period helping Londoners in their toughest moments.
So what's it like working for the Air Ambulance at Christmas time
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"The job is always a privilege," said Consultant Dr John Chatterjee.
"I’ve worked over Christmas in all my roles in the NHS, but like the rest of the key workers we have to keep the service running and it’s like a little secret club only we are in while the rest of the city gets time off.
"I am always pleasantly surprised at how kind-hearted strangers are to our patients and to our teams."
Dr Chatterjee's job as a consultant means he spends his time between delivering care as part of the clinical team, and training and supervising staff on secondment from elsewhere in the NHS.
He also plays his part in helping to develop and shape the future of the service.
As always, London's Air Ambulance Charity will be on hand to support Londoners 24 hours a day, seven days a week over the Christmas period.
Into the unknown
This year will be different for the team, as no one's celebrations are going to be normal.
Dr Chatterjee said: "This whole year has been a trip into the uncharted.
"I’ve given up trying to predict what might happen, all I do know with certainty is that we will all try our best to do the best for those in our care.
"For our patients and their families any time is a bad time to suffer injury or loss, but at Christmas it must be especially tough for them and the thought of being able to ease whatever we can brings some comfort.
"Normally the rest of the world slows down a little and London is a beautiful city with the Christmas decor and seasonal cheer, and it’s amazing to see the efforts people go to to spread happiness."
The Air Ambulance doesn't usually see a difference in the number of jobs they attend over the Christmas period, but violent crime and accidents don't stop for the holidays.
In 2019, nearly one third of injuries were from stabbings and shootings 32 per cent or road traffic incidents 28 per cent, and one fifth were due to falls from height 22 per cent.
Christmas for Dr Chatterjee is about spending time with family, especially seeing the excitement of his nieces.
He said: "My heritage is Indian...
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