Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a registered charity, which uses a helicopter to provide an air ambulance service to the English counties of Dorset and Somerset. The air ambulance came into service in March 2000, following the success of similar schemes, such as Devon Air Ambulance and Cornwall Air Ambulance. The air ambulance headquarters are at Wellington in Somerset, but the helicopter is based at Henstridge Airfield in Somerset.

Aircraft
The service operates an AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter, callsign Helimed 10, which has been in service since June 2017. Travelling at speeds of up to 165 kn, it can land in an area half the size of a tennis court and can reach anywhere in the two counties within twenty minutes of an emergency call. It is crewed by two pilots, a paramedic and a critical care doctor and can carry two patients on stretchers. The pilots and maintenance staff are employed by Gama Aviation, the company which leases the helicopter to the air ambulance service. The paramedics are employed by South Western Ambulance Service (SWASFT), although a number of these are paid for by the charity, while critical care doctors are seconded from local NHS hospital trusts.

Operations
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance provides life-saving, pre-hospital critical care, to patients in need. We are your local air ambulance charity, a vital part of the community and we rely on your support. They operate 19 hours a day (7.00am – 2.00am) providing a critical care service, using their helicopter and critical care car.

Statistics
In the year ending March 2023, the charity was called to 2,424 missions. 1,168 of these were using our AW169 helicopter and critical care car and 1,256 were using our outreach cars to provide enhanced care. In the year ending March 2019, the charity was requested by SWASFT to attend 1,118 incidents by helicopter and 276 incidents by road.

In May 2011, the charity flew its 8,000th mission, and by 2015 had flown a total of 10,700. Typical incidents for which the assistance of the air ambulance is requested by SWASFT, include road traffic collisions, medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, agricultural and horse riding accidents, due to the remote locations and the severity of injuries involved in such incidents.

Deployment and delivery
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is tasked by a dedicated Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) desk, located at the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust clinical hub in Exeter.

Paid for by the five air ambulance charities it serves Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Devon Air Ambulance, Cornwall Air Ambulance, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and Wiltshire Air Ambulance. The HEMS desk is staffed by specific dispatchers who understand the capabilities of air ambulances and the regulations that govern our deployment. These individuals play a crucial role in deciding where and when our helicopter is deployed. They can also call on support from the Coastguard, Police and Search and Rescue should the need arise.

Critical care and outreach cars
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance also provide an enhanced care service across Dorset and Somerset using our outreach cars. The critical care and outreach cars are Skoda Kodiaqs which have been converted by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASfT) to ensure they meet all the standards and regulations of their existing fleet of rapid response vehicles.

They are equipped with the same high standards and base level of equipment that you would find on a land ambulance including: oxygen, response bags, paediatric, burns and asthma kits, defibrillator, major incident triage packs and traction splints.

The vehicles enhance their service by enabling them to respond to incidents when elements restrict the helicopter flying and to provide an additional enhanced care service in Dorset and Somerset. They also give the charity additional resources to despatch, in the need of a medical emergency which requires both the helicopter and a land vehicle.

Finances
The service they provide is 95% funded by charitable giving. In 2023, the air ambulance service was tasked to 2,424 incidents; with each mission costing approximately £3,500. Together, with your support, we can be there for patients today, tomorrow and in the future. In the year ending March 2022, the charity's income was £10.4million and expenditure was £7.9M, of which it spent £6.9M operating its helicopter and rapid response vehicle. This money has to be raised largely from charitable donations. The charity is supported by volunteers spread across the two counties who work to raise funds to ensure that this service continues. It also runs a weekly lottery, which accounts for 48% of the charity's income. In 2021, it also received £181,000 of government grants.

In 2019, the charity's patron, Somerset racing driver Jenson Button, wrote the foreword to Haynes Publishing Group's new publication Air Ambulance Operations Manual. The book, written in the style of traditional Haynes Manuals, features cutaway diagrams of the charity's AW169 helicopter. The publisher is making a donation of £0.75 from the sale of every copy to benefit air ambulance charities across the United Kingdom.