Wales Air Ambulance

The Wales Air Ambulance Charity (WAAC) is a Charity Air Ambulance service providing a free, life-saving Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the critically ill and injured of Wales. It is not funded by the NHS – but only by charitable donations. It also provides the Children's Air Ambulance Wales emergency transfer service.^[1]

G-WENU, one of the charity's new H145 aircraft

The charity aims to save lives, reduce or prevent disability or suffering from critical illness and injury, by delivering a pre-hospital emergency medical service.

Service

G-WASC, an EC135, was used by the Wales Air Ambulance prior the introduction of the H145s, but has since returned to be used as the Children's Air Ambulance Wales.

The service has helicopters and medical crews stationed at Caernarfon, Welshpool, Llanelli and Cardiff. The HEMS team are capable of reaching a critically ill patient anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes of receiving a call. Each helicopter team consists of a pilot and two medics, typically a doctor and critical care practitioner; or two critical care practitioners.^[2]

The Children's Air Ambulance Wales operates from Cardiff, taking children on urgent inter-hospital transfers to specialist paedeatric and neonatal hospitals in the UK - including Alder Hey and Great Ormond Street.^[1]

The charity's Critical Care Practitioners (nurses and paramedics) and Doctors are seconded from EMRTS Cymru.^[3] Pilots are provided by the charity's aviation partner: Babcock.

Fleet

Three of aircraft operating for the charity are Airbus Helicopters H145s.^[4]. There is also a Eurocopter EC135 based in Cardiff as the Children's Air Ambulance.^[1]

All helicopters are owned by Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore, who also provide the pilots and maintenance for the aircraft.

References