Minself - I fully agree with the contingency fund argument but if that is so important why blow £300K of it on doctors? The charities involved must be very sure of their projected donations if they can afford to run their helicopters and 3 doctors every year. Or do they already have such a huge surplus that they can afford such luxuries with ease? Of the medical professionals (including doctors) I have talked to, most seem to think that doctors on AA will have a limited and possibly negative effect (more likely to stay and play at the scene than scoop and run to the A&E).
As to charging - as far as I am aware the policy is that we do not ever charge. I have never done a non-critical inter-hospital transfer, they are usually critically ill patients needing specialist care unavailable at their primary hospital. Before the ARCC tasks a SAR asset for a medtransfer, the NHS has to show that there is no other way of transporting the patient available and that without the use of SAR, the patient's life is in danger.
The ARRC keep trying to get the message across to ambulance controls that we are free but even in the good ones we are 3rd on the list of call out priority behind land ambulances and air ambulances. We improved the knowledge in the Devon area by inviting 2 paramedics/technicians to fly with us every Friday so they understood our capabilities and limitations - but all the work seems to have to be done by the SAR units - there is precious little initiative taken by the NHS trusts or Ambulance authorities.