Air ambulance call-outs in Dorset have reached a record high with the charity now spending £10m a year to keep operating.
The latest figures provided by the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) reveal that 2,909 missions were undertaken from April 1, 2023, to March 2024.
It was the busiest year to date for the charity since it was formed in March 2000.
As a result the DSAA has made an urgent plea for support to continue its life-saving work.
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A spokesperson for DSAA said: “Last year was our busiest year on record; over the past five years, the number of missions we have been tasked to has more than doubled from 1,261 incidents in 2018, to 2,909 incidents in 2023.
“Behind every number is a real person going through perhaps the most traumatic event of their lives and we do everything in our power to give them the best chance of survival.”
In the figures released by the DSAA, 47 per cent of missions carried out were trauma based, 21 per cent were cardiac emergencies, 31 per cent were classed as medical call outs and one per cent were for patient transfers.
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The DSAA added: “The interventions that our clinical team provide at the roadside, in a field, on the beach, or wherever it is needed, require highly specialist skills and equipment, drugs and blood products, which are also not otherwise available through the ambulance service.
“In some cases, it can take several hours to transport a patient to hospital by road; the immediate specialist care provided by our critical care team, combined with the capability to transport patients quickly by helicopter to the best hospital for their condition and ongoing urgent care, can make the difference between life and death.”
The service has a dedicated team of 22 staff, working in the areas of administration, finance, lottery, communications and fundraising.
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The operations are delivered by a further 53 team members including the critical care team, patient and family liaison nurses, pilots, an engineer and operational support staff.
The charity is also extremely well supported by over 100 volunteers, who perform a wide range of roles including, giving talks, supporting events, servicing collection boxes and running information/merchandise stalls.
Despite the crucial work provided by the service, there is no direct government or National Lottery funding, meaning it relies mainly on charitable donations to fund the £10 million-a-year running costs.
This helps to keep a specialist crew operational for 19 hours every day, 365 days a year – with each mission costing around £3,500.
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The DSAA spokesperson added: “DSAA is 95 per cent funded by charitable giving, by donations, gifts and legacies from people and organisations
“With the number of missions increasing every year and our operational costs rising, we need the public’s support so we can continue to be there for patients when they need us the most.
“Patients who need critical care, patients who one day could be any one of us, or someone we love, deserve to have this valuable care available to them when they need it.
“So please, if you are able, visit our website to donate, leave a gift, become a regular giver, or join our lottery, so we can be there for patients today, tomorrow and in the future, thank you.”
To donate or find out more visit www.dsairambulance.org.uk
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