Air Ambulances UK (AAUK) has presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to aeromedical charity Devon Air Ambulance operations director Nigel Hare at its recent 2022 Awards of Excellence event held in Birmingham. The accolade was in recognition not only of Hare’s 25 years of service in the air ambulance helicopter emergency medical services community, but also his pioneering contribution to its development.

Before Hare made his way to the stage at the Edgbaston Stadium, an AAUK spokesperson explained a little about his commitment to the sector and his long serving career at Devon Air Ambulance: “Nigel has flown thousands of missions as a HEMS paramedic and has taken training, development and the practical use of data to a new level.

“He brought his charity and the local ambulance service together in a partnership to establish the first dedicated and fully funded HEMS dispatch team, a model now widely used throughout the UK. He became part of his charity’s senior leadership team in 2012 and was one of the founding directors of the Association of Air Ambulances in 2013.

“In this position, he played a pivotal role in the development of the association and of HEMS services throughout the UK and beyond. He took on the incredibly complex task of developing a common dataset for air ambulances across the UK, he lobbied parliament for access to NHS data and LIBOR funds and represented the UK air ambulance community at the British Standards Institution.

“He was instrumental in Devon Air Ambulance applying for its air operating certificate and its registration as an independent healthcare provider with the Care Quality Commission; its first CQC report is just in and it’s an ‘outstanding’ result. Nigel is always keen to share his knowledge with colleagues across other air ambulance services and has been instrumental in the way the sector has forged ahead in its short life.”

Devon Air Ambulance came home from the event with three other awards. Toby Russell, on behalf of its community landing sites team, won Charity Team of the Year for providing outstanding clinical and operational support by keeping aircrew and patients safe while delivering time-critical care after dark, while its communication team scooped Campaign of the Year and advanced paramedic in critical care Lee Hilton was awarded Critical Care Practitioner of the Year.

Devon Air Ambulance CEO Helena Holt says: “I could not be more proud of all our team. These awards recognise their constant commitment to always striving to do more and do better for patients. But it also has to be recognised that we have only been able to do so thanks to our hundreds of volunteers and wonderful supporters, without whom our service simply would not exist. I am beyond delighted for Nigel, who has received a very well deserved Lifetime Achievement Award, and very proud to see our incredible workforce recognised by our peers for their innovative achievements.”