Hovertravel celebrates partnership with NHS

Neil Chapman, managing director of Hovertravel, said: “Hovertravel is a unique business and our craft are photographed by travellers and onlookers every day. We wanted to a celebrate partnership with two similarly iconic British heritage brands by including their logos in our livery.

Recent events have shown how companies can work together for the good of the community and our innovative partnership with the NHS to transfer stretcher patients across the Solent, whilst conceived during lockdown continues today, with almost 200 patients flown since March.”

Having established that Hovertravel’s Island Rescue service was the quickest option for stretcher patient transfer during the initial lockdown, the medical teams looked how this extension of their emergency service could be useful going forward.

The short crossing time means the ambulance crew are off-island for a much shorter time, as the organised patient handover to the South Central Ambulance Service at Hovertravel’s pad in Southsea means the IOW NHS Trust Ambulance Crew make an immediate return trip to the island.  Over four hours per crossing are saved and this means the ambulance crew are once again available to help patients on the Island.

Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said:

“Our partnerships make us stronger and everyone at Isle of Wight NHS Trust is grateful to Hovertravel for its support during our response to COVID-19.

“It has been fantastic to see how our community has come together to meet the challenges of the last few months and the new livery is a powerful demonstration of how organisations can work together.”

(Photo shows from left to right)

Back row – Steve Attrill, Hovertravel and Darren Claydon, Isle of Wight Ambulance Service

Middle row - Iain Reeves and Martin Thearle, both Isle of Wight Ambulance Service

Front row - Mike Nash, Hovertravel