Jane Harness describes herself as normally very active. She has horses and walks five or six miles with her three dogs every day. In February 2026, while on a day off from her work as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, she was in a field next to her home in West Norfolk when she turned to call one of her dogs. Her foot caught the ground awkwardly and she fell.
“I’d snapped my right femur in half,” Jane explains. “I couldn’t get up and I could see that my leg looked deformed.”
Jane lives in the countryside in a village not far from King’s Lynn. Thankfully, she had her phone with her and she called her daughter, then dialled 999.
“I told them, ‘I think I’ve done something bad’ – but at that point I thought it might be a dislocation.”
The call handler connected Jane with the Critical Care Desk, who asked if she could share a video of her injury. The Critical Care Desk (CCD) is managed in Norwich, Chelmsford and Bedford by experienced clinicians – usually critical care paramedics – who also work with Helicopter Emergency Medical Service organisations, including East Anglian Air Ambulance. They monitor 999 calls to identify the emergencies where an advanced pre-hospital critical care team could make the greatest difference.
The CCD determined that Jane did need help from an air ambulance crew, and our Anglia Two team was dispatched by helicopter from Cambridge. Despite Jane being in Norfolk, our Cambridge‑based crew can also cover neighbouring counties, helping ensure patients across the region can receive rapid, specialist care when it matters most. The 40-mile journey by air took just seventeen minutes.
“I could see it coming and then watched it land nearby,” Jane says. Meanwhile, a land ambulance crew had arrived and secured my dogs – but then my cat jumped into the back of the ambulance. It was like a bad dream!”
Our crew, Dr Brendan Fletcher and Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) Joe Dowsing, went straight to Jane.
“They looked at me and immediately said, ‘You’ve broken your femur.’ They were so kind and reassuring – they asked me about my job and talked to me the whole time.”
Dr Brendan and CCP Joe then needed to sedate Jane so they could carefully manipulate her badly broken bone back into position. Our clinicians use sedation to make difficult moments more comfortable for patients. It may be needed when a joint must be relocated, a fracture stabilised, or when someone is distressed after a seizure. Given intravenously, sedation helps patients feel calm and relaxed while essential procedures are carried out.
“The crew told me I might feel a little strange. It was February and very cold, so they also made sure I was well wrapped up to keep me warm.”
Once Jane was more comfortable, Dr Brendan and CCP Joe accompanied her by land ambulance to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn for further care. She later had surgery and spent ten days in hospital.
“I didn’t realise how serious the injury could have been, so I’m incredibly grateful for the almost immediate treatment I received. It’s like having hospital-level care before you even arrive – those minutes can make such a difference.”
While Jane continues her recovery and remains on crutches, she was later able to visit our base and meet the crew who treated her.
“It was quite emotional,” Jane says. “My daughter took me, and I was met by the charity’s aftercare team. I saw Dr Brendan again – he said I was doing well and talked me through what had happened that day. They actually supported me while I was in A&E and stayed with me for quite some time.
“I also saw the helicopter and the equipment it carries. I learned more about the different kinds of emergencies East Anglian Air Ambulance attends – it was fascinating.”
Jane adds, “Wherever the patient is, they can reach them, and they look at the whole picture – care at the scene, transfer to hospital, and support afterwards. I’m one of the lucky ones, but it must be very difficult at times. It’s made me realise that life can change in a matter of seconds, but East Anglian Air Ambulance can make a difference in minutes.”