Medical repatriation services

Providing medical repatriation services 24/7 to and from the UK

 
At all times your needs and that of your loved one will be handled by our medical team, who will work in consultation with our Medical Director, Dr Simon Forrington. On your behalf, based on your permission, they will:

• liaise with the patient’s current medical provider regarding their condition and suitability to be transferred
• arrange for the release of the patient into our care
• determine the best aircraft for the mission based on criteria agreed with you
• arrange for road transportation to meet the aircraft (on departure and arrival)
• monitor the patient’s condition during the flight and make necessary interventions as required
• transfer the patient to an awaiting ambulance on arrival
• accompany the patient (as required) handing over the care of the patient to the receiving hospital

Will it be covered by my travel or health insurance?

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room; private air ambulances are not cheap. The first thing to do is to check with your insurer to see if the repatriation costs via private air ambulance is included within your policy.
If it is, then make the arrangements via your insurer. If it is not, then read on
 

I need my loved one repatriated, but they are not covered by our insurance

This scenario is more common than you may think, and it is a horrible time for the family. Although it is the last thing that you should be thinking about, money will come into the equation. Any reputable private air ambulance operator will consider the following when calculating a price for repatriating a loved one:

• What medical condition is the patient in and can they be safely flown?
• What hospital are they located in?
• Is there a secondary condition such as COVID-19 to consider?
• Has a receiving hospital been informed of their arrival and is a bed available?

 

 
From these questions, our medical and aviation teams will be able to determine, the following items which will determine the price.

• Aircraft type. The aircraft type acts as a determining factor particularly if the aircraft is required to be fitted with specialist equipment to support your loved one in flight. In certain circumstances airlines can and will carry patients.
• Journey duration. This effects both the cost of the road ambulance but also the air ambulance. Simply a jet air ambulance burns more fuel and is more expensive to run than a propeller driven King Air. The upside is that journeys are quicker, and you can travel further.
• Medical team. For certain conditions we may have an enlarged medical team to maximise patient comfort and cover any specialist intervention that maybe required during the journey.
• Ancillary costs. Transfers and repatriations can take place at any time. It is not unusual then to have out of hours costs associated with airports, additional landing fees or other costs associated with the private air ambulance leg of the journey

Can it be cheaper?

Based on the condition of your loved one it may be possible to conduct the transfer by a scheduled airline. However this can depend on the condition of your loved one and a host of other factors that need to be appraised at the time. Our only consideration is the care for you loved one and therefore if our medical team, request a particular method of transport or type of aircraft then that is the path we take.
 

How quickly can medical repatriation be arranged?

As soon as we have your request the medical team, who work on a 24/7 basis will begin the medical assessment. Given a fair wind they should have sufficient information to be able to provide an indication within 1-2 hours of the receipt of the request. This of course greatly depends on where the patient is and the complexity of their situation.
 

Deposit

Should you wish to proceed, the team will ask for a small deposit of £1,500. Your deposit will be refunded and covers our planning time should you decide not to proceed (in the event the transfer cannot take place for any medical reason this deposit will be refunded). Should you go ahead, your deposit will be deducted from the final price of the flight.
 

When do I pay?

Due to the costs involved our policy is to request payment in advance. The payment must also clear prior to the confirmation of the trip.
 

Your aeromedical team

Our Air Ambulance medical team is led by Medical Director, Dr Simon Forrington.

Dr Forrington is a Consultant in Intensive Care and Anaesthesia at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest and most respected Trusts in the UK. Dr Forrington is Medical Director for Gama Aviation’s Special Mission’s team and is head of standards for the European Aeromedical Institute (EURAMI). He also has 2 years direct clinical experience as a medical HEMS Consultant with the UK’s North West Air Ambulance.

Working alongside Dr Forrington is a highly skilled and professional team of Flight Doctors, Flight Nurses and Flight Paramedics. The team has a great deal of experience in aeromedical transportation, moving patients, often critically unwell, from all corners of the world. The Medical Department is focused on delivering a service that is safe, effective and of a consistently high quality.

Contact us

For more information on our Private Air Ambulance repatriation service, simply click on the link below.