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New fears over 999 copter service
CAMPAIGNERS have expressed fears for the future of Wiltshire's Air Ambulance following news that the service is to be reviewed.
Health chiefs at Great Western NHS Ambulance Service (GWAS) have refused to renew a five-year lease on the helicopter, and have offered a one-year deal instead, until a clinical review' is carried out.
Ann Levick, a non-executive director of Wiltshire Ambulance NHS Trust, has raised fears that the review could lead to the air ambulance service, based in Devizes, being replaced with a three-county service operated out of Filton.
GWAS have denied the claims, saying there are no plans to axe the service.
The present Wiltshire air ambulance, which works in conjunction with Wiltshire Police, can reach anywhere in the county within eight minutes. This would take longer if the service was operated out of Filton, north of Bristol, as Mrs Levick fears.
"They (GWAS) only want to commit to one year and this is a problem for the police," she said.
"While we have a shared venture with the police we are the only county that has seven days' coverage with 19 hours' flying.
"The alternative being considered by GWAS Trust is a dedicated air ambulance for the Great Western Trust, covering three counties and based possibly at Filton."
In response to the concerns Victoria Eld, a spokesman for GWAS, said: "We want to find the best clinical model available to improve the service to the people of Wiltshire, not remove it.
"The Filton-based air ambulance has been set up in response to an identified gap in air ambulance cover for the people of Avon. This is an addition to the air ambulance cover in Wiltshire, not a replacement."
The parents of Melksham woman Michelle Phillips, who died, aged 26, in a three-car crash in Devon in April 2004, raised more than £12,000 for the air ambulance in their daughter's memory. The service needs £350,000 of donations a year to keep going.
Mum Sandra Phillips, 60, of Halifax Road, Bowerhill, said: "We are obviously upset about it all. We are going to try as hard as we can to do our bit to save it. We have got to do this as well for Michelle. You just never know when you might need something like this."
Jerry Poolman, 46, of Codford, near Warminster, thought he would never walk again or have children after he was crushed by a half-tonne hay bale on his small farm in 1991.
Mr Poolman, now a father-of-two, was taken by the air ambulance to Salisbury District Hospital within minutes and the prompt treatment he received meant he was taking his first steps just a couple of months later. "If it wasn't for them giving me the treatment at the time I think it would have been a different story," he said.
"When I found out the news I thought blimey, the last thing you want to do is merge it'.
"I think there will be a lot more fatalities with them not being able to get there quickly enough."
4:42pm Thursday 15th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: blackdog, southwick on 7:26pm Thu 15 May 08
Better covering three counties than just one.Most of the time is spent on the ground anyway takes at most two real patients a week..What a waste of money.
Better covering three counties than just one.Most of the time is spent on the ground anyway takes at most two real patients a week..What a waste of money.
Posted by: old jarge, beanacre on 7:34pm Thu 15 May 08
[quote][bold]blackdog[/bold] wrote:
Better covering three counties than just one.Most of the time is spent on the ground anyway takes at most two real patients a week..What a waste of money. [/quote] Not if your child is one of the two patients.
blackdog wrote:
Better covering three counties than just one.Most of the time is spent on the ground anyway takes at most two real patients a week..What a waste of money.
Not if your child is one of the two patients.
Posted by: Mr P Taker, England on 7:57pm Thu 15 May 08
Blackdog may I sugest that you have no idea what you are talking about. On the financial side GWAS contribute nothing, the ambulance side is paid by fund raising. Are you saying that the people of Wiltshire should pay for other counties to benefit if so i feel you will be in the minority. I can also assure you that more than two patients a week go in the air ambulance and on occasions it is used already used in other counties.
Blackdog may I sugest that you have no idea what you are talking about. On the financial side GWAS contribute nothing, the ambulance side is paid by fund raising. Are you saying that the people of Wiltshire should pay for other counties to benefit if so i feel you will be in the minority. I can also assure you that more than two patients a week go in the air ambulance and on occasions it is used already used in other counties.
Posted by: CC, Wiltshire on 10:52am Fri 16 May 08
This will be a lajor problem if we lose it - yes it's great to have one to cover the whole GWAS area, but as an air ambulance, it'll only be able to fly in daylight. The current one, can fly at night and often does, due to it's partnership with the police.
I can assure you blackdog, it's used far more often than you think.
Were we to lose this asset, the new one will be based at Bristol. Any 999 calls will be prioritised for that area due to population density, so rural areas will miss out.
This costs GWAS nothing to run, so I suggest it stays as is, and the new service is set up where there is a gap in the asset provision.
The loss if this will hit our county hard, and lives will be lost as a result - not scaremongering, but fact! As each accidental death costs the tax payer over a million pounds, I would think it's far more economical to keep it running to save money if nothing else!
This will be a lajor problem if we lose it - yes it's great to have one to cover the whole GWAS area, but as an air ambulance, it'll only be able to fly in daylight. The current one, can fly at night and often does, due to it's partnership with the police.
I can assure you blackdog, it's used far more often than you think.
Were we to lose this asset, the new one will be based at Bristol. Any 999 calls will be prioritised for that area due to population density, so rural areas will miss out.
This costs GWAS nothing to run, so I suggest it stays as is, and the new service is set up where there is a gap in the asset provision.
The loss if this will hit our county hard, and lives will be lost as a result - not scaremongering, but fact! As each accidental death costs the tax payer over a million pounds, I would think it's far more economical to keep it running to save money if nothing else!
Posted by: CC, Wiltshire on 10:55am Fri 16 May 08
Or a 'major' problem even!
Never type quickly about something that's made you mad....
Or a 'major' problem even!
Never type quickly about something that's made you mad....
Posted by: Public Spirit, Wiltshire on 9:05pm Sun 18 May 08
Yet another of our services under threat. The police and ambulance services should be looking to increase the use of local helicopter coverage for Wiltshire not axe the dedicated Wiltshire service.
Perhaps Blackdog actually had ne of his friends or family saved byt the Air Ambualnce, he'd be barking up another tree.
Yet another of our services under threat. The police and ambulance services should be looking to increase the use of local helicopter coverage for Wiltshire not axe the dedicated Wiltshire service.
Perhaps Blackdog actually had ne of his friends or family saved byt the Air Ambualnce, he'd be barking up another tree.
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