Campaign: Raising £6 million to buy new air ambulance

Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) already has a helicopter based near Perth, which covers emergencies from the Borders to Orkney.

Now the charity wants to raise £6 million to cover the costs of leasing another helicopter, crew costs and pay for a road vehicle.

Charity leaders say the helicopter’s main purpose is to provide “added resilience” to the country’s existing paramedic cover, and that they can help get people to hospital within the critical “golden hour”.

The group also has a rapid response road vehicle, deployed if conditions prevent the helicopter from taking to the skies.

Politicians have already suggested that Aberdeen would be the ideal base, given plans for a new trauma centre in the city and say it would help address the challenges in providing cover across the Highlands. The second helicopter would bolster the Scottish Ambulance Service’s fleet, which is based in Inverness and Glasgow. The service also has fixedwing aircraft, used for patient transfers, in Glasgow and Aberdeen. Talks are taking place between the SCAA, the NHS and the Scottish Ambulance Service on where to base the helicopter if the fundraising campaign is a success.