COVID-19 Statement

UPDATE: Thursday 5th November 2020

Further to the Government’s announcement of a second ‘lockdown’, we want to reassure supporters that Great Western Air Ambulance Charity remains fully operational. Just as we have done throughout the pandemic, we will do everything possible to keep it that way. In these challenging times, our crew adapt and remain ready to save lives.

In line with government guidelines, we closed our shop in Westbury-on-Trym from 17:00 on Wednesday 4^th November but we will be operating a call and collect service. The shop, in Carlton Court on Canford Lane, opened its doors for the first time in September after COVID-19 forced us to put initial opening plans on hold. We would like to thank all of our supporters who have donated items or visited the shop, and our volunteers who have dedicated time to work in the shop over the last few weeks. To stay up to date with how and when you can shop though call and collect, visit the dedicated web page here.

Since the start of the pandemic, we have continued to provide lifesaving support to our communities and we offered additional services in April and May to support the NHS in its response to the virus. We stand ready to support our colleagues once again if required. We continue to follow the current guidelines, and are taking all necessary steps and precautions to ensure patient, crew, volunteer and charity safety.

We are really missing face-to-face contact with many of our volunteers, partners, supporters and fundraisers. We would like to thank you all for your generosity and determination. We are so proud to have such an amazing group of people committed to our cause.

While many fundraising events are unable to go ahead, we know that many of you are finding different and safe ways to raise money for our service. For example, your joint efforts as part of our Belly Laughs at Home comedy night raised an incredible £9,000 and we are so grateful to all of our supporters who participated in our Home Baker: Mission Maker event or organised their own activity. You continue to amaze and inspire us all and we will do everything we can to support your activities.

If you’re looking for ways to support us you can find ideas here: www.gwaac.com/how-to-help

We will continue to share updates on here and on social media but should you wish to get in touch with a query, please be assured our team are still on hand to assist you. The best way to contact us is to call 0303 4444 999 or to email info@gwaac.com and one of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

We wish everyone well at this time; please look after yourselves and each other in our communities.

UPDATE: Friday 22nd May 2020

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) welcome today’s announcement from the Department of Health and Social Care that Air Ambulances UK are set to receive £6 million of funding to be distributed amongst the UK’s 22 air ambulance charities, in response to COVID-19.

It is yet to be confirmed how much GWAAC and each of the air ambulances will receive, but the funding comes as part of £22 million which is being awarded to health and care charities to allow them to continue providing vital support to their communities during the pandemic.

Anna Perry, CEO of GWAAC, says: “Although it is unlikely that the money we receive from this pot of funding will cover the shortfall we are expecting in income this year, it will make a huge difference to us being able to continue providing our lifesaving service to those in need, allowing us to be more resilient in these uncertain times. We look forward to receiving further details over how the funding will be allocated.”

Read more here. 

Updated COVID-19 Statement

Friday 10^th April 2020

As the situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to change across our region, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) has been having to think differently and move at pace to adapt its approach, while continuing to deliver urgent critical care to our communities.

As of Friday 10^th April, GWAAC are supplying Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care to assist in transferring critically ill COVID-19 patients between hospitals in the region, supporting the NHS in the fight against the virus.

Members of our Critical Care Team will be part of a multi-disciplinary team carrying out inter-hospital transfers for intensive care COVID-19 patients who require advanced respiratory support. GWAAC’s Specialist Paramedics are trained to an advanced level in pre-hospital emergency care, and are highly experienced in treating seriously unwell patients. They will be bringing their specialist skills and equipment to the transfer service, including state of the art ventilators, to provide the best care possible.

The crew have been responding to COVID-19 cases as part of their daily operations for the past few weeks, however, this is the first time they will be using their advanced skills and resources to assist with transferring patients from one hospital to another.

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity would like to reassure the public that during the COVID-19 outbreak our Critical Care Team will do our absolute best to continue to operate and be there for anyone that urgently needs us. Any COVID-19 transfers that we undertake currently, will be in addition to our normal service, staffed separately, and not taking resources away from the communities that rely on us.

Please rest assured that we are following all of the current guidelines, and are taking all necessary steps and precautions to ensure patient and crew safety. This means we have implemented steps such as extra Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), stopped all non-essential personnel from visiting the air base, and implemented new remote working practices for our staff.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt to the ever-changing environment so that we can continue to deliver urgent critical care to our community, where it’s most needed. At the moment we are still right here and ready to respond to medical emergencies across the region.

What we ask from you

As you are aware, this is a difficult time for everyone. Please ensure that you are following all of the current advice and guidelines to keep both yourselves and others in our community safe. For more information, visit here: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

Chief Executive, Anna Perry, says: “I want to thank our Critical Care Team who remain on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19, standing ready to support our communities. We all need to do our bit, to reduce pressure on services – by staying at home where possible.”

Now, more than ever, our community needs us. And we need you. We are a charity, and can only continue to be there for people in urgent need with your help.

If you’re able to, please make a donation to help us remain right here and ready. If you’re unable to donate at this time, there are many other ways you can support us.

Whether it’s clearing out your house for items to donate to our new charity shop, filling out a volunteer application you’ve always wanted to do, sharing and commenting on our posts on social media or leaving a gift in your will – you can help us get through this difficult time. Find out more here: https://greatwesternairambulance.com/how-to-help/

Above all, please look after yourselves and each other in our communities.

COVID-19 Statement 18th March 2020

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity would like to reassure the public that during the COVID-19 outbreak our Critical Care Team will do our absolute best to continue to operate and be there for anyone that urgently needs us.

Please rest assured that we are monitoring the situation closely, following all of the current guidelines, and are taking all necessary steps and precautions to ensure patient and crew safety. This means we have implemented steps such as extra Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), stopped all non-essential personnel from visiting the air base, and implemented new remote working practices for our staff.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work to adapt to the ever-changing environment to continue delivering urgent critical care to our community.

What we ask from you

As you are aware, this is a difficult time for everyone. Please ensure that you are following all of the current advice and guidelines to help us protect the vulnerable. For more information visit here: https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19

We are a charity and can only continue to be there for the seriously ill or injured with your help. Unfortunately, we are in the process of cancelling or rearranging a large number of events, large and small, which would have provided much needed income. If you have a full collection tin or something else to give us, please drop us a line and let us know, but it might be a while before we see you – we know you will understand why. Although the Government hasn’t told us this is mandatory yet, we think it is important to show leadership and act decisively to keep our staff, volunteers, supporters and the general public as safe as they can be.

We understand this is a difficult time for everyone – financially, practically or emotionally. However, you can still help your local air ambulance in other ways. Whether it’s clearing out your house for items to donate to our new charity shop, filling out a volunteer application you’ve always wanted to do, sharing and commenting on our posts on social media or leaving a gift in your will – you can help us get through this difficult time. Find out more here: https://greatwesternairambulance.com/how-to-help/

Above all, please look after yourselves and each other in our communities.