Second air ambulance to increase lifesaving care

2 hours ago

Alexandra Bassingham,West of Englandand

Maddie Simpson,Gloucestershire

News image — CEO of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charles Hackett has said the charity's second helicopter is being fitted out with medical essentials

BBC Charles Hackett wearing a navy Devon and Somerset Air Ambulance branded gilet, a blue and white gingham checked shirt and clear framed glasses, with his grey hair styled slightly in a a short quiff. He is standing in front of a yellow air ambulance, which has its door open and there are some books and tools on the floor of it. It is in a warehouse/hangar with brick walls and a light coloured floor. — CEO of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charles Hackett has said the charity's second helicopter is being fitted out with medical essentials

An air ambulance charity is appealing for support to raise £1m to help kit out a second critical care helicopter to provide lifesaving care.

Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance has one AW169 helicopter - known as Peggy - which is called out about 1,500 times per year. However, it has been kitting out a second helicopter to the same specifications to meet demand.

The helicopter will be able to carry two pilots and up to three medical crew and will have its own intensive care suite in the back, according to CEO of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charles Hackett.

The charity needs to fundraise £1m to pay for kitting out the helicopter, which will have cost £10.3m once complete.

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Hackett has said the number of times Peggy is called out was "a lot for a helicopter to do".

He explained that because the air ambulance is available 19 hours a day and flies into unsurveyed sites at night, it requires regular maintenance as it must be "absolutely safe and in top condition".

A man wearing black overalls is sitting on a wheelie chair and leaning towards the nose of the yellow helicopter which he is working on in a hangar. The helicopter's door is open and there are tools and a small stool inside it. — The total cost of buying and setting up the second air ambulance is about £10.3m

"We have the busiest AW169 air ambulance in the UK and fly an awful lot with our geography and our reach," he added.

"When we don't have a helicopter available to us, our ability to reach patients who need us first diminishes, given our road network.

"Those times really hurt because the ability to get lifesaving care to a patient that's far away in time reduces rapidly.

"So having a second helicopter will allow us to fly, still one at a time, and be more consistently available to get us to those patients."

Hackett has said the new helicopter is "in pieces" while it is being fitted out at Gloucestershire Airport, where partner Gama Aviation, which maintains the aircraft, is based.

A zoomed out view of yellow air ambulance helicopter, with a man working on its nose. It is in a warehouse-style building, with other air ambulances visible in the background behind shelving and machinery. The helicopter has its door open and there are tools and a small stool on the floor of it. — The new air ambulance is being kitted out at Gloucestershire Airport

The charity is based on the Somerset and Dorset border and is able to reach trauma centres in Bristol, Southampton and Plymouth, with the team working alongside and covering other air ambulances in Wiltshire, Gloucester, Dorset, Hampshire and into Cornwall if needed.

The charity's operational costs are more than £10m a year, with each call out costing about £3,500. Hackett has said this means donations are vital for it to continue its work.

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