In a Parliamentary motion, Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser has urged the Scottish Parliament to support Scotland’s first charity air ambulance. The Conservative MSP whose constituency office is based in the same building as the SCAA believes that this new service will become a vital deliverer of emergency care in hard to reach rural areas.
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) is based at Perth Airport and will supplement the work of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
A total of 32 charity-funded helicopter air ambulances operate across England but this will be Scotland’s first such service.
The Parliamentary Motion reads as:
That the Parliament welcomes Scotland’s first charity-funded air ambulance helicopter, which will be based at Perth Airport; recognises that it is scheduled to operate 10 hours a day, seven days a week and be contactable via the 999 emergency helpline; understands that the launch of Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance marks the culmination of four years of hard work by a small team who used public, private and third sector finance to fund the project; understands that it will cost around £1.5 million a year to fund the aircraft, pilots, paramedics and charity staff; believes that it will become a vital deliverer of emergency care in hard-to-reach areas of Scotland, and hopes that the Scottish Government will support future endeavours aimed at improving the level of emergency service cover across rural and Highland Scotland
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“As someone who speaks with the individuals involved in this project on a regular basis it’s great to see their hard work finally pay off and the service take-off.
“Highland Perthshire suffers from particularly thin ambulance cover therefore it is imperative that we have services like this operating from our region.
“Safe, fast and efficient air ambulance cover is extremely important for rural residents but this service will also benefit users across the whole of Scotland. The additional ambulance cover offered by the SCAA will dovetail neatly with existing services and provide an extra layer of flexibility.”