WILTSHIRE Air Ambulance undertook 1,167 missions across Wiltshire, Bath and surrounding areas in 2023, which represents a 10.6% increase on the previous year.
The charity’s helicopter was used for 646 (55%) of the missions, with the remaining 521 incidents attended by critical care cars.
A total of 292 patients were transferred to local hospitals (up from 263 in 2022), the majority of which to Royal United Hospital, Bath (85), Southmead Hospital, Bristol (69) and Great Western Hospital, Swindon (57). The charity responded to 28 incidents in Westbury.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance’s safety and ground operations manager Richard Miller said: “We have a very dedicated aircrew – consisting of pilots, critical care paramedics and doctors – who respond to emergencies, on average, three times a day, 365 days a year.
“These latest statistics show the need for our lifesaving service has sadly increased in the past 12 months and we could not do it without the amazing donors and local businesses who help raise the funds required to keep our air ambulance flying and saving lives.
“As it says on the side of the helicopter, we are funded by you, flying for you, and we are extremely grateful for all the support we receive from the people of Wiltshire and Bath.”
The largest number of call outs were to cardiac emergencies – 274, which equates to around a quarter of all missions. There were 231 road traffic collisions attended, plus 237 medical emergencies, 60 sporting incidents and 47 assaults.
A total of 157 incidents involved children, while 34% of all missions (397) took place at night.
The largest number of incidents were in the Swindon area – 181. The charity attended 96 missions in Bath, 85 in Chippenham and 70 in Salisbury.
Other areas where the team were called to attend include: Amesbury – 14; Bradford-on-Avon – 13; Calne – 25; Chippenham – 85; Corsham – 24; Cricklade – 3; Devizes – 65; Malmesbury – 18; Marlborough – 32; Melksham – 51; Pewsey – 11; Royal Wootton Bassett – 17; Tisbury – 1; Tidworth – 6; Trowbridge – 68; Warminster – 38.
The aircrew were also tasked to incidents outside of its operational patch, including in counties such as Bristol, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Worcestershire. In total, 24.6% of the incidents were outside of Wiltshire and Bath.
Wiltshire Air Ambulance is a charity and receives no regular direct funding from the government or National Lottery grants.
Breakdown of incidents by month
January – 79; February – 88; March – 84; April – 83; May – 113; June – 104; July – 105; August – 118; September – 104; October – 89; November – 86; December – 114.
Breakdown of incidents by category
Cardiac – 23%; other medical conditions, including collapses and strokes – 20%; road traffic collisions – 20%; falls – 15%; sports (including horse riding) – 5%.
