Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) is celebrating 25 years of life-saving service to the community.
During that time, DSAA has innovated and transformed into one of the most advanced pre-hospital critical care services in the UK. The care that they provide, is only made possible because of charity funding and donations they receive.
In the early years, DSAA only operated five days a week with a small team of pilots and paramedics. The aircraft was a Bolkow 105 helicopter with limited space and the equipment and skills of the team were similar to those you would find on a road ambulance. 
Ken Duffield (pictured) was the first patient treated by DSAA 25 years ago – 52 minutes after the air ambulance service went live. Ken was riding his motorcycle to work when he collided with a car and was sent hurtling 26 metres along the road. His wife Kirstin was eight months pregnant and they had a son, Alexander, who was two.
Kenn said: “I was taken to Dorset County Hospital within minutes, where I underwent three full-body blood transfusions. Because I lost so much blood, my family believe if I had been taken by land ambulance, I would not have survived.
“My right leg was broken at the knee and the femur and I was kept in hospital for six weeks, during which time my daughter Becca was born. Doctors managed to save my leg, but it took 12 operations and five years before it was fully functional.
“Our children have grown up knowing what happened to me and the importance of DSAA’s work. So many people, including myself, are here because of the work they do. They are amazing.”
Fast forward to 2025 and over 29,000 missions later, the shift in care for the people of Dorset and Somerset has been remarkable.
DSAA’s critical care team, consisting of consultant-grade doctors and specialist practitioners, now bring the hospital to the patient 19 hours a day, 365 days of the year. The charity also provides an enhanced care service across both counties with two outreach cars operating 12 hours a day and they have a compassionate team of five patient and family liaison nurses.
Since 2017, DSAA has operated a state-of-the-art AgustaWestland169 (AW169) helicopter, which was the first AW169 to enter air ambulance operational service in the UK.
Betty Boland (pictured) was six-and-a half when she fell 12ft through the roof of a neighbour’s workshop while searching for her football, landing on her head.
Mum, Sarah said: “Betty sustained a life-threatening brain injury and in the blink of an eye, our lives flipped upside down. It would be 17 days, before we would return home again.
“DSAA was called to the incident; a decision that would prove to be life-saving. The team suspected a closed head injury and she needed to get to a specialist children’s hospital that could perform neurosurgery as soon as possible.
“Within 20 minutes, we were on top of the helipad at Bristol Children’s Hospital, where she was rushed for an MRI scan and X-rays. These showed a fractured skull, bruising and several bleeds on the brain, and damage to her lungs; she spent five days in intensive care in an induced coma.”
Charles Hacket, CEO of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, said: “I would like to say thank you to everyone who supports us. Donations have taken us from small beginnings to where we are today, providing pre-hospital critical care that no one imagined 25 years ago.
“In 2016, we were called about 800 times, last year it was nearly 3,000. This continuous, step-by-step growth in care, in such a short period of time, has been nothing short of incredible. However, the cost of our operations has also steadily risen and now exceeds the generous income we receive.
“The charity has taken bold steps over the past decade and that has been the right approach as it leads to saving life. But now we face the challenge of maintaining and being able to fund that boldness.
“With each of DSAA’s missions costing approximately £3,500, support is vital.”
There are many ways to donate to the charity, from a monthly lottery to legacies and monthly contributions. For more information visit www.dsairambulance.org.uk.
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