Cloud-Based Technology Keeps Devon Air Ambulance Flying High

This article has been produced in collaboration with Telegraph Spark. The original article as well as a collection of helpful guidance, business stories and interactive quizzes produced by SAP Concur and Telegraph Spark can be found on this Building Business Resilience hub.

With a robust finance tech system in place, the emergency medical service has been able to ensure staff can work flexibly during lockdown and still buy the PPE equipment they need

Getting an ambulance to help people who need urgent medical support because of incidents or injuries isn’t always easy. Some rural areas are extremely difficult to access by road. 

In Devon, the problem is exacerbated by two rugged coastlines and the sheer size of the county, the fourth-largest in the UK. Hence Devon Air Ambulance (DAA) has become such a vital public service. 

Launched in 1992 with a single helicopter operating five days a week during daytime hours only, the service now operates two air ambulances seven days a week, day and night. Last year, it helped 985 patients, including 591 who needed to be flown to specialist treatment centres to address their needs. 

However, like most air ambulance services, DAA isn’t supported by taxpayers’ money. Instead it’s an independent charity raising approximately £9m a year through sources such as legacies, lottery funding, donations and retail operations. Not surprisingly, it’s extremely expensive to run.

Flexible Working

The Covid-19 pandemic has understandably changed the way DAA operates. Doctors who normally work on board air ambulances are instead helping patients at DAA’s host hospitals, leaving critical-care paramedics responding, with most of the support staff currently working flexibly from home. This has been made possible with modern digital technology. 

“Having cloud-based systems in place enabled us to move out of the office and away from a conventional nine-to-five culture very quickly,” says Dave Hawes, director of finance and infrastructure at DAA. “We’ve achieved more in the past few weeks than has been possible in the last few years.”

We’ve achieved more in the past few weeks than has been possible in the last few yearsDave Hawes, director of finance and infrastructure at DAA

Video-conferencing software has helped DAA improve its communications both within the organisation and with other charities, says Mr Hawes. And its implementation of SAP Concur cloud-based expense and invoice solutions provides complete visibility over the organisation’s spending as well as streamlined payment processes. 

“If someone wants to buy PPE equipment, which is obviously difficult to get hold of at the moment, we need to ensure they are able to get it as quickly and easily as possible when it becomes available,” Mr Hawes says. “SAP Concur allows us to do this.”

He believes that cloud-based systems, including SAP Concur solutions, are actually helping to improve productivity, which he admits “hasn’t been very strong in the UK in recent years”. 

Change and evolution are an important part of businessDave Hawes, director of finance and infrastructure at DAA

New Ways of Working

Rather than being a temporary change in working patterns, he believes that many of the new ways businesses are operating will continue into the future after the pandemic has ended.

“I’m not a big fan of the phrase ‘new normal’ because it suggests that the changes we are going through are not normal,” says Mr Hawes. “While things have undoubtedly accelerated during this period, change and evolution are an important part of business.”

After nearly 30 years in service, DAA is continuing to evolve, discovering new ways that digital technology can help serve the communities of Devon most effectively. Investing in the right cloud-based infrastructure helped this business to stay connected and agile – staying stable through disruption, and preparing them for the future.

Adapting air ambulances for Covid-19

To help make its air ambulances safer for its crew and patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, DAA recently made several alterations to its helicopters. Taking about a month to complete, during which time the aircraft were grounded, these modifications included a separation barrier fitted between the pilot and the patient/paramedics. This was designed by submarine engineers.

Other changes include a bracket that secures to an aviation helmet so that a full-face visor can be worn over the top of it and a throat microphone, enabling air crew to carry on communicating via the helicopter’s communications systems while wearing protective face masks.

DAA also has two critical-care cars that have formed an essential part of its service, particularly while its aircraft were grounded.