Originally Posted by
Northernstar
Not sure that is the insinuation. Certainly those who have flown HEMS in the past would agree the job is or was very rewarding but, unlike up here in Scotland where we had and still have the ambulance service contract as primary HEMS, the charity driven model appears open to abuse as publicised by BBC Panorama with TAAS a few years ago. But is that abuse far more wide ranging and commonplace? Are there conflicts of interest? Where is the oversight? A quick search online reveals Dorset Somerset have published accounts showing vast sums of money and turnover really surprising. A level almost akin to running a UKSAR base which clearly would have far more infrastructure, assets and requirement sets.
from my understanding, quite a lot of charities were in trouble a while back and fundraising changes such as running lotteries saved them from extinction. They then were capable of raising so much money and that money MUST be spent, use it or lose it, Dorset cannot hold on to all that cash. So that money got channeled into more complex aircraft, a doctor/paramedic model capable of more complex medical interventions, more expensive drugs etc. Their wealth has arguably pushed the boundaries of pre hospital medicine more so than other models.
Other than a bigger helicopter, what more requirements does a SAR base need? Needs a hangar, some fuel and some crew with a comfy place to watch bargain hunt. HEMS units are tasked far more often than SAR assets so their infrastructure requirements will be very similar.
Has it been shown to be abused in the past? Yes, the issues with TAAS were well known, perhaps that bleeds elsewhere too. As for oversight, all the aviation models are overseen by the UK CAA, thoughts on that organisation aside, the oversight and sign off to operate is the same as any other organisation.
Realistically, removing the charity side of things and how not all are created equal, it is still an operation that is vital and with absolutely no alternative (with NPAS barely able to operate as it is, the UK would never switch to a government led AA model, which isn’t proven to be better clinically elsewhere anyway).