Wales Air Ambulance

Wales Air Ambulance is an all Wales charity that provides critical care around the clock for people with life or limb threatening injuries or illnesses. The service launched in 2001 and reached its 50,000th mission in 2024. It costs £13 million a year to run and its crews attend around 4,000 incidents annually across the country.

The charity operates four helicopters and a fleet of rapid response vehicles. These are currently based in Caernarfon, Welshpool, Dafen in Llanelli, and Cardiff. As a pan Wales service, dedicated crews travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care by air and by road regardless of where they are stationed.

The service is delivered through a third sector and public sector partnership. The charity raises the funds for helicopter and rapid response vehicle operations. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service supplies NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity's vehicles.

The medical team includes critical care practitioners, critical care doctors, and PHEM and clinical fellows. The service is consultant led and takes the emergency department to the patient. Teams can administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions, and conduct minor operations at the scene. If required, they transfer patients directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury, either within Wales or to specialist treatment centres in England.

Every patient journey starts with dispatch. An allocator and a critical care practitioner monitor 999 calls to find patients who need critical care. The service attends less than one percent of all 999 calls, responding only to the highest level life or limb threatening emergencies. It works in partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Service, which usually provides initial immediate care on scene before the air ambulance arrives.

An aftercare service supports patients and their families during recovery. The charity also provides volunteering opportunities and careers in emergency medical services. It is currently implementing service improvement plans following an independent review that identified opportunities to improve access and save more lives across Wales.

Services

• Helicopter emergency medical service
• Rapid response vehicles
• Advanced critical care
• Blood transfusions
• Anaesthesia
• Minor operations
• Patient transfer
• Aftercare support
• Dispatch process monitoring
• Night flying operations