Edgware Hatzola service launched after years of planning

The Hatzola medical emergency service launched this week in Edgware. The organisation mainly but not exclusively serves the Jewish community with emergency medical assistance.

Due it proximity to the Jewish communities it serves, Hatzola has a response times of less than two minutes in parts of Manchester, compared to the regular ambulance service which can take three times as long.

In London, 15 volunteers have trained for two years to become the fifth Hatzola team working in the UK. Volunteer medics have agreed to be on a rota to attend calls 24/7, equipped with medical and trauma kit bags and defibrillators.

They include volunteers from a variety of professions, including a headteacher, surveyor, estate agent and a caterer.

The training was set up by Simon Blackburn, head of clinical training at UK Specialist Ambulance Service (UKSAS) and is now managed by Dr Asher Lewinsohn, senior anaesthetic registrar.

Dr Lewinsohn said: “I am very proud of how seriously the Hatzola volunteers have taken their roles and training. ”

It is both a free service and a registered charity, relying solely on private donations by the community, and will be fully operational from this week.

Its emergency line – 0303 888 9999 – is free from most landlines and mobiles.

To find out more information visit the website https://www.hatzola-edgware.org/