Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance records its 'busiest year on record'
The service has seen an increase in demand but could face cutbacks without public support
Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance was involved in more than 2,400 missions last year and say demand is continuing to rise.
Each year, it costs £10M to keep the helicopter, cars and specialist crew operational for 19 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The charity, which is now in its 23rd year, is looking to expand to provide 24-hour cover from the new year but they rely on donations to continue operating.
Chief Executive Officer of the charity, Charles Hackett said: “Our workload has more than doubled in the last five years, from a little over 1,112 incidents in 2017 to 2,424 incidents in 2022."
But behind every number is a real person going through perhaps the most traumatic event of their lives and the charity’s crew does everything in their power to give them the best chance of survival.
“Even though, between 2am and 7am, there is less patient need, we know there is still some patient need and it pains me that we aren’t there to deliver it,” Charles added.
The Air Ambulance visits patients that require the highest form of pain relief or need to be put onto ventilators and air lifted to hospital immediately.
Charles Hackett told us about one of their missions: “A little over a year ago now, we visited a 14 year old boy who was hit by a car and had his head smash through the windscreen.
“We were able to get to him early, put him onto a life support, monitor and impact his blood pressure and transfer him to a hospital that had the right surgical capability to deal with the injury, all within an hour.
“As a result, we managed to save that boys life.”
The service, which saw 95% of its funding come from small donations and gifts, has now launched its first-ever Christmas appeal and is asking for support to continue its life-saving work.
Each life-saving mission that our crew are tasked to costs approximately £3,500 but with no direct funding from the Government or the National Lottery, the charity relies on the generosity of the public to fund every mission they undertake.
Mr Hackett explained just how vital the service is: “The Air Ambulance has become the main way patient get critical care outside of hospital.
“Approximately half of what we do involves trauma. A large portion of that are road traffic incidents and collisions while the other half is medical situations, such as heart attacks.”