A FREQUENT visitor to Thurrock, descending from the skies to offer help to injured of distressed people, the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance (EHAAT) service will feature in a TV documentary due to start next week.

The service features in Critical: Between Life and Death, a new six-part medical documentary launching globally on Netflix on Wednesday, 23 July.

The series, from the makers of the award-winning 24 Hours in A&E, offers exclusive access to London's Major Trauma System and follows frontline NHS and emergency teams as they respond to some of the most serious, life-threatening incidents across London and the Southeast. 

Filmed over 21 days with more than 40 embedded cameras across hospitals, ambulance services, and air ambulance charities, the series goes over the shoulder and under the scalpel to reveal not only the life-saving interventions but also the personal and emotional factors facing those working on the frontline where every second counts. 

EHAAT teams appear in episodes 2, 4 and 5, bringing critically injured patients that they have treated into the Royal London Hospital, and then handing them over to the receiving trauma team in the Emergency Department. Three of our clinicians are also featured in reflective interviews, offering a rare behind-the-scenes view of the emotional and clinical challenges of pre-hospital emergency medicine. 

"As a charity, we are incredibly grateful for the global platform this series provides," said Dr Tony Joy, EHAAT's Medical Director "It powerfully highlights the essential role of pre-hospital care in the patient's journey and the dedication of all those involved across the trauma system." 

Due to the types of injuries that EHAAT attends, such as serious head injuries, its teams often transport patients from across Essex and Hertfordshire to one of the capital's major trauma centres. The charity was particularly keen to support this series because it follows patients beyond the initial emergency response, capturing the broader NHS journey of recovery and rehabilitation. 

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"It's significant that the programme describes the whole patient journey, where all parts of the system play an important role in caring for our patients and their families," said Dr Joy. "We're proud to support several of the patients featured in the series through our patient and family liaison team, and to be part of a system that puts the patient at the centre of everything." 

On average Essex & Herts Air Ambulance crews attend to 1,900 patients a year.

As a charity, EHAAT relies on public support to keep its advanced helicopter emergency medical service running 24/7, 365 days a year. To find out more and to donate, please visit ehaat.org