Supporters of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal have raised concerns about the delay in making the charity independent.

The board of the Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) is the sole trustee of the appeal and pledged in September 2008 that the fund would become an independent charity. Almost 18 months on there is no sign of this happening.

Campaigners say it is wrong that the appeal money is used to pay the wages and uniforms of the paramedics on the air ambulance and say these should be paid for by GWAS.

Dr Richard Riseley-Prichard, co-founder of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal, and campaigner Richard Youens have spoken of their concerns.

Dr Riseley-Prichard, who lives in Allington, near Devizes, said: “It has been agreed that the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal should be a stand-alone charity so what is the delay? The trustees of the appeal must be totally separate from the NHS in every way.

“I don’t know of any other air ambulance charity that pays the wages of the paramedics. Our view is the NHS should pay for the paramedics’ wages and the appeal pays for the rest.”

Mr Youens, a retired loss adjustor from Rushall, has asked for meetings with David Whiting, the chief executive of GWAS, who joined last April, but without success.

He said: “We want the appeal to have independent trustees so they are in charge of the destiny of the appeal and to get the funds away from the health service.”

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal relies entirely on donations from the public and has to raise £500,000 a year. Of that the cost of the wages and uniforms for the paramedics is £250-£280,000 a year.

The appeal also pays for four shifts a week for a paramedic to work on the ground, using a car based at the Air Support Unit in Devizes.

In contrast, GWAS pays the wages of paramedics on board the Bristol-based Great Western Air Ambulance.

A GWAS spokesman said it was in discussions over the payment of the paramedics but said the existing arrangements were acceptable and appropriate.

He added: “GWAS is committed to moving the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal to an independent charity but the complexity of the issue means it has just taken longer than we expected.”