Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance

The service operates an AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter, callsign Helimed 10, which has been in service since June 2017. Travelling at speeds of up to , 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, ==Operations==

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance provides life-saving, pre-hospital critical care, to patients in need. They operate 19hours a day (7.00am – 2.00am) providing a critical care service, using their helicopter and critical care car. Statistics In the year ending March 2025, the charity were called to 2,954 missions; 1,387 of these were using the helicopter and critical care car with outreach cars attending 1,567 incidents 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. 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 the deployment. These individuals play a crucial role in deciding where and when the helicopter is deployed. They can also call on support from HM 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 outreach cars. The Škoda Octavia critical care and outreach car has been converted by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASfT) to ensure it meets all the standards and regulations of their existing fleet of rapid response vehicles. The car is 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 2025, the charity's income was £11.0million and expenditure was £10.1M, of which it spent £8.5M (84%) 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 in 2019 accounted for 48% of the charity's income. 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. ==See also==