dorset and somerset air ambulance

What dorset and somerset air ambulance does

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) is a UK charitable company limited by guarantee (registered charity number 1078685) that delivers pre-hospital critical care across the two counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England. Operating 19 hours per day (07:00–02:00) from its airbase at Henstridge Airfield and headquarters in Wellington, Somerset, DSAA fields an AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter (Pegasus, in service since June 2017), a Skoda Kodiaq critical care car, and two Skoda Kodiaq outreach cars operated by Specialist Practitioners between 10:00 and 22:00. Clinical governance sits with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust; the charity transports patients to major trauma centres including Southmead Hospital Bristol, Bristol Children's Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton, Poole Hospital, and Royal United Hospital Bath.

The service is delivered free at the point of use, funded entirely through voluntary income: one-off and regular donations, the weekly Flight for Life Lottery, corporate partnerships, legacy giving, an online merchandise shop, textile recycling, and community events (DARE to BARE, Marathon in a Month). DSAA carries advanced medical equipment including plasma, O+/O- red blood cells, fibrinogen, Lyoplas, an i-STAT blood analyser, LUCAS chest compression device, ultrasound, and ventilators; blood products are replenished every 48 hours via Devon Freewheelers from Dorchester County Hospital. The charity also operates what3words-enabled location identification, a 5-clinician Patient and Family Liaison aftercare service, CPR/defibrillator training, defibrillator package sales, a multi-agency outreach programme, and a portfolio of injury prevention initiatives (Bike Safe, BikerDown, DocBike, Safe Drive Stay Alive, Farmer Down, water safety with RNLI, button battery and magnet safety). Mission volume stands at 2,738 air and road responses per year at an average cost of approximately £3,500 per mission and a daily operating cost of £30,100.

Name

dorset and somerset air ambulance

Legal name

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charity

Website

https://dsairambulance.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is a UK charity delivering helicopter and road-based pre-hospital critical care across Dorset and Somerset, funded entirely through public donations, lottery income, and community fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Ambulance Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ambulance Fleet, Equipment & Logistics Services (HLAFANAN), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) & Ambulance Services (BPAIAGAC)

Keywords

• Air ambulance services
• Pre-hospital critical care
• Emergency medical response
• Patient transport services
• Charity fundraising programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: One-time and regular donations from the public via website, direct debit, and fundraising activities. Monthly giving program emphasized as most effective way to support the charity's life-saving work.
2. Lottery Program (Flight for Life Lottery): Weekly lottery program encouraging regular participation. Members play to support the charity with periodic prize draws.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships providing funding and support. Companies can align with the charity for CSR purposes.
4. Legacy Giving: Bequests and gifts left in Wills, described as a way supporters can leave a lasting legacy to keep the air ambulance flying.
5. Merchandise and Recycling: Online shop selling merchandise. Recycling programs for shoes, clothing, and textiles where donated items help fund missions.
6. Events and Community Fundraising: Various events including DARE to BARE sponsored swim, Marathon in a Month Challenge, and community-organized fundraisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) is a registered charity that delivers pre-hospital critical care across Dorset and Somerset via an AW169 helicopter and a Skoda Kodiaq critical care/outreach car fleet, operating 19 hours daily. Its services include scene-based advanced medical care, blood transfusions at the scene, rapid transfer to major trauma centres, and a five-clinician Patient and Family Liaison aftercare service. The charity supplements its clinical operations with CPR and defibrillator training, an outreach programme, injury prevention initiatives, a weekly Flight for Life Lottery, and a corporate partnerships programme, all funded through donations and fundraising.

Product overview

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance operates a multi-vehicle fleet providing critical pre-hospital care across Dorset and Somerset. The core offering consists of an AW169 helicopter (Pegasus) and ground vehicles including a critical care car and two outreach cars, all equipped with advanced medical equipment. Supporting services include Patient and Family Liaison clinical support, CPR/defibrillator training, community outreach and injury prevention programs (Bike Safe, BikerDown, DocBike, Safe Drive Stay Alive, Farmer Down, water safety), a Blood on Board transfusion service, and fundraising through the Flight for Life Lottery and corporate partnerships. Operations run 19 hours daily (7:00am – 2:00am) with an average of 2,738 missions annually at approximately £3,500 per mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AW169 Helicopter (Pegasus) Air Ambulance Service Primary air ambulance response service using an AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter (Pegasus) to deliver pre-hospital critical care and rapid transfer of seriously ill or injured patients across Dorset and Somerset. Available for free to the public via 999 dispatch.
• Critical Care Car (Skoda Kodiaq) Service Skoda Kodiaq critical care car providing rapid road-based emergency response when weather or other factors limit helicopter availability. Equipped with monitors, ultrasound, blood gas analysers, and state-of-the-art ventilators. Operates 7:00am to 2:00am in line with helicopter hours.
• Outreach Cars (Skoda Kodiaq) Service Two Skoda Kodiaq outreach cars operated by Specialist Practitioners between 10:00am and 10:00pm, one based in Somerset and one in Dorset. They extend enhanced care capability across the region and can respond to emergencies by road to provide additional enhanced care service.
• Patient and Family Liaison Service Clinical aftercare service providing personalised support to patients and families treated by DSAA, bridging pre-hospital care and ongoing recovery. Five clinicians cover the region, connecting families to support services and facilitating peer support opportunities.
• Blood on Board Service Advanced pre-hospital capability to perform blood transfusions at the scene using plasma, O positive and O negative red blood cells, fibrinogen, and Lyoplas (freeze-dried plasma). Blood products are delivered every 48 hours via Devon Freewheelers from Dorchester County Hospital blood bank and analysed on scene using the i-STAT machine.
• CPR and Defibrillator Awareness Sessions (Life Support Training) Life support training service teaching members of the public how to deliver effective CPR and use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). Delivered as part of DSAA's community engagement mission.
• Defibrillator Package Sale and installation of defibrillator packages for businesses and community locations, supplied by DSAA as part of its community safety mission.
• Outreach Programme (Inter-agency Training and Engagement) Educational and training outreach engaging emergency services, universities, community responder groups, and students through joint training days, presentations, workshops, and scenarios at Henstridge Airfield. Partners include HM Coastguard, Maritime Search and Rescue, Fire and Rescue, Police Firearms, HART Teams, and South Western Ambulance Service.
• Injury Prevention Programmes Suite of community injury prevention initiatives including Bike Safe (motorcycle workshops), BikerDown (motorcyclist first aid), DocBike (road safety), Safe Drive Stay Alive (young driver education), Button Battery Safety, Farmer Down (agricultural safety), Water Based Injury Prevention (RNLI collaboration), and Keep Your Child Safe From Magnets.
• Flight for Life Lottery Weekly lottery programme offering regular membership and periodic prize draws. Provides recurring income to fund life-saving missions across Dorset and Somerset.
• Corporate Partnerships Programme Partnership opportunities for businesses to support DSAA through donations, employee fundraising, matched giving, event sponsorship, and CSR-aligned engagement. Named partners include Modulek and JPCP Electrical.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,738 missions attended annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Devon FreewheelerscoreOthersBlood delivery partnership. Every 48 hours, a volunteer from Devon Freewheelers collects blood products from Dorchester County Hospital blood bank and delivers to DSAA airbase at Henstridge Airfield. If products are needed sooner, delivery can be arranged in 30 minutes. Critical logistics partnership enabling the blood on board program.
• South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASfT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical governance partner. DSAA operates under the clinical governance of SWASfT. Vehicles fully converted through SWASfT to meet ambulance regulations. Joint training exercises and coordinated emergency response.
• HM Coastguard and Maritime Search and RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-agency collaboration for search and rescue operations. Joint training exercises included in Outreach program. Collaboration enables better decision making when tasking assets and improves patient outcomes.
• Fire and Rescue ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-agency collaboration for emergency response. Joint training days and simulated exercises included in Outreach program. Collaboration with local fire services across Dorset and Somerset.
• HART (Hazardous Area Response Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Western Ambulance Service HART teams provide specialist operational support. Collaborated during patient extractions from difficult terrain. HART 6-wheel ATV used for patient transport.
• Dorset County HospitalcoreOthersBlood bank partner. Provides blood products (plasma, red blood cells, fibrinogen, Lyoplas) for DSAA's blood on board program. Products stored at hospital blood bank and collected by Devon Freewheelers every 48 hours.
• Henstridge AirfieldcoreOthersAirbase location. DSAA airbase at Henstridge Airfield serves as home for the AW169 helicopter and critical care vehicles. Hosts joint training exercises and community engagement events including team days.
• RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater safety collaboration. Clinical team training with RNLI beach lifeguards to familiarize with ways of working. Joint water-based injury prevention project with public signage and safety messaging.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Devon Air Ambulance: Neighbouring air ambulance charity covering Devon with a directly comparable operating model (helicopter and critical care cars, NHS clinical governance via SWASfT, donation-funded, lottery program). Most direct regional peer given geographic adjacency and shared NHS Trust partnership.
• Midlands Air Ambulance Charity: One of the largest UK air ambulance charities operating multiple helicopters across the West and East Midlands. Useful larger-scale comparable for fundraising model, multi-aircraft operations, and inter-agency partnership management.
• Cornwall Air Ambulance: UK air ambulance charity serving a similarly rural coastal region. Comparable operating model (helicopter + rapid response vehicles, donation-funded, lottery program, NHS-aligned clinical team). Useful comparable for rural mission mix and donor engagement in non-metropolitan areas.
• Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance: Charity-funded helicopter air ambulance serving Scotland with comparable operating model (helicopter, critical care paramedics, donation-dependent, lottery fundraising). Strong structural comparable for non-metropolitan mission mix.
• East Anglian Air Ambulance: UK air ambulance charity operating two helicopters across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Bedfordshire. Comparable on operating model, NHS-aligned clinical governance, and lottery/regular-giving fundraising mix.
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance: Regional UK air ambulance charity with comparable scale, helicopter-and-car fleet mix, and donation-driven funding model. Operates a similar 19-hour daily service window and shares operational characteristics with DSAA.
• Magpas Air Ambulance: East of England air ambulance charity providing doctor-led pre-hospital care via helicopter and rapid response vehicles. Directly comparable on clinical capability (doctors + CCPs), donation model, and charity regulatory standing.
• Wiltshire Air Ambulance: Closely comparable UK air ambulance charity operating in adjacent South West England with a single helicopter, critical care team, donation-funded model, and lottery/regular giving fundraising mix. Shares mission profile and donor-base characteristics with DSAA.
• Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex: Larger UK regional air ambulance charity operating helicopter and critical care cars across three counties. Comparable on operating model, donor engagement approach, and clinical team composition; useful larger-scale comparable.
• Great Western Air Ambulance Charity: Air ambulance charity covering Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire, and surrounding areas. Directly comparable in operating model (helicopter + critical care cars, NHS clinical governance via SWASfT, donation-dependent) and shares overlapping patient transport destinations with DSAA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dsairambulance
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxaXe2zudOKnadC3d20s_KA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/DSAIRAMBULANCE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dorset-and-somerset-air-ambulance/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/dsairambulance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about dorset and somerset air ambulance