Air Ambulance Chief Executive receives top honour

Jane Gurney, Chief Executive of Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, has today been named Director of the Year in the ‘Public/Third Sector’ category by the Institute of Directors (IoD) for the East of England.

Mrs Gurney received her award from IoD Director General Stephen Martin at a celebratory lunch held in the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket.

Nominations for the award were received from IoD branches across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire.

She said: “I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of everyone who has helped to make Essex & Herts Air Ambulance what it is today. Being recognised in this way is a validation of the work my team and I have put in to growing the Charity and this award will help raise the profile of the Charity and increase awareness of our life-saving work.

“It is a privilege to lead such a committed and dedicated team and to be able to share this success with them and our supporters.”

-ENDS-

Photograph: L-R: Stephen Martin (Institute of Directors Director-General), Jane Gurney (CEO of EHAAT), David Sales (Regional Chairman of the Institute of Directors for the East of England)

For more information please contact the Communications Team on 0345 2417 690.

Notes to Editor:

• Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) is a Charity that provides a Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Essex, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.
• The service is provided free of charge but, unlike NHS emergency services, the Charity receives no direct funding from the Government or National Lottery. It costs £500,000 every month to keep the service operational and saving lives, and this would not be possible without the generosity and goodwill of people and businesses of Essex, Hertfordshire and beyond.
• Each of the Charity’s HEMS teams consist of two Pilots, a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and a Critical Care Paramedic.
• These teams, made up of highly-skilled individuals, tended to 1077 patients in 2016 and are the backbone of your local life-saving Charity.
• The fleet, consisting of two Air Ambulances, and four Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs - cars) operates seven days a week from 7am to 9pm. After sunset, the Critical Care Team continues to provide the service using Rapid Response Vehicles.
• In addition, a Rapid Response Vehicle is operational on a Friday and Saturday evening from 6pm until 2am with a Pre-hospital Care Doctor and Critical Care Paramedic.