A ‘WELLBEING revolution’ is taking off thanks to the work of the county’s air ambulance charity.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) this week launched, at its Thruxton base, an online wellbeing programme designed to monitor and improve its critical care teams’ mental health.

The programme will give the team’s doctors, paramedics, pilots and dispatch assistants the ability to monitor their wellbeing and mental health and seek help if necessary.

Alex Lochrane, chief executive at HIOWAA, said: “National reporting has highlighted that everyone working in the emergency services can be affected by post-traumatic stress at any point in their career, and our critical care teams at HIOWAA are no exception.

“They put themselves out there every day and face situations that are unimaginable to us.

“I am really proud that we can now offer them a platform to seek support and advice, should they need it and I hope others will follow our example.”

HIOWAA launched the programme, the first of its kind among air ambulance charities, on Monday.

At its heart is a wellbeing website on which members of the critical care teams can monitor their own mental health by completing an anonymous monthly survey.

The website offers tips and advice based on their results as well as signposting to further support from mental health professionals.

Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) doctor Matt Kerton has been with the charity for two years and led the launch of the programme.

He said: “When I came here the charity just got it. They understood, they got it and they went with it.”

He added: “Every organisation should have something like this. This kind of wellbeing revolution should absolutely be a standard of care for every health professional.”

Teambuilding events and activities are also a big part of the programme.Personal training sessions and yoga classes were held throughout the week of launch, with quarterly events also planned such as a LEGO building day and a visit to a trampoline park.

Matt added other charities looking to follow HIOWAA’s lead are welcome to reach out to find out more.

He said: “There’s definitely an expertise we have built up that we can use.”