Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) came out winners in three categories at this year’s National Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence. The life-saving charity was shortlisted as a finalist in five categories, highlighting the broad scope and high standard of the service they provide and the incredible motivation and professionalism of their people.
Dr Phil Hyde (pictured right), DSAA’s Medical Lead, was awarded ‘Doctor of the Year’. Dr Hyde’s selfless dedication to the service of patients in only matched by his incredible clinical knowledge and expertise. 
Despite his punishing schedule as a paediatric intensivist in a major trauma centre and as a member of the DSAA clinical team during one of the busiest and most challenging years in living memory, Dr Hyde continues to explore what can be achieved for patients, particularly in the pre-hospital environment.
His clear vision of how patient care, works better if it is properly ‘joined up’, is the driving force behind some extraordinary achievements over the past 18 months. These include driving an innovative project to support paediatric time-critical, inter-hospital transfers in collaboration with the regional paediatric transport services, leading DSAA’s efforts to support the rebalancing of pressure on critical care units across the country at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and championing the development of a national clinical audit of pre-hospital critical care to evidence and support its future development.
A collaboration between DSAA, Southampton Oxford Retrieval Team (SORT), Wales and West Acute Transport for Children Service (WATCh) and Bristol Children’s Hospital Trauma Team Leaders, was awarded ‘Innovation of the Year’ for formally supporting the time-critical inter-hospital transfer of paediatric patients in the South West Region.
The new capability took five years to develop and mature and was the first of its kind in the UK. The paediatric time-critical, inter-hospital service that is now being provided by DSAA, is in addition to their normal critical care activity and their regional adult time-critical, inter-hospital service.
The prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to DSAA’s Chief Executive Officer, Bill Sivewright (pictured left), for his outstanding contribution to the work of DSAA and the air ambulance community over the past 11 years. 
Bill’s inspiring leadership has enabled DSAA to become one of the most innovative and highly respected air ambulance charities in the country. He has led from the front across all areas of the charity, empowering others to do the same. This has resulted in the development of a small but extremely efficient charity team, where every member of staff feels valued and supported.
The capabilities of DSAA has increased extra-ordinarily during Bill’s time as CEO and the quality and range of clinical care provided to the most critically ill and injured patients outside of hospital in Dorset, Somerset and the broader South West has been utterly transformed.
Through Bill’s vision, leadership, drive, innovation and expertise, he has nurtured and created an outstanding air ambulance service supported by his team of clinicians, staff, volunteers and of course the community he serves. While steering many dramatic innovations within the South West, Bill’s passion to serve his community goes above and beyond by way of his numerous commitments in a voluntary capacity; one of which was four years as vice-chair and then chair of the Association of Air Ambulances, (now Air Ambulances UK).
Dr Hyde said: “It is a real privilege to be awarded Doctor of the Year. We work as a really close team at DSAA and together have achieved exciting improvements in patient care. I thank them all for supporting me for this award.
“I am also delighted to accept the Innovation of the Year Award on behalf of the collaboration between DSAA, the SORT team in Southampton covering Wessex and the WATCh team covering Wales and the South West. This innovation has been an enormous co-operative effort, working alongside a fantastic group of people and we hope to share our learning with the rest of the country.”
Mr Sivewright praised the whole team, before responding to winning the Lifetime Achievement Award: “To be shortlisted as finalists in five categories for this year’s Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence is a remarkable achievement.
“With 21 air ambulances across the country operating in an environment that demands high performance, to stand out in that company, is a real mark of quality. But for three of our nominations to then be held up as not one of the best, but the best in the country is simply outstanding.
“Congratulations to our whole team, who are all winners in our eyes and who continue to work tirelessly, for the benefit of the patients we serve.
“Being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award is an incredible honour and it has been a privilege to be able to contribute in the way that I have. My time as chair of the then Association of Air Ambulances, was only possible, because our trustees had the vision to see that our own path at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance would be bettered by collaborating with others.
“I rely incredibly on the team around me to allow me flexibility to do what I do, so a special thanks to them. For the air ambulance sector, it is impossible not to recognise that we all do a fantastic job; we save lives, we make lives better and we give people hope. What more can anyone have than that for inspiration.”
More information on Dorset and Somerset can be found by visiting: www.dsairambulance.org.uk
Join Somerset Chamber of Commerce to give your business a stronger voice both locally, regionally and nationally. Combined with local town chambers, we represent over 2,000 businesses across Somerset with a direct line to policy-makers at all levels.
