Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is an independent healthcare provider of helicopter-led emergency medical services, delivering specialist care to patients at the scene of serious incidents across the Midlands.
Patient care is at the forefront of everything that we do, supported by clinical advancements, innovation and long-term sustainability to ensure we continue delivering the highest standards of critical care.
Unlike many emergency services, we receive no funding from the NHS or Government for our daily missions. Our 24/7 lifesaving service exists because of the generosity of local people, businesses and communities who choose to support us.
In return we are committed to engaging, educating and empowering the communities that we serve, with a broad range of events, education, training and volunteering programmes for businesses and the general public across our six county area.
Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), we provide a rapid emergency response 24 hours a day, 365 days a year across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire — serving a population of around seven million people.
Our highly skilled critical care paramedics and doctors trained in pre-hospital emergency medicine bring hospital-level procedures, equipment and medicines directly to patients at the scene. Whether responding by helicopter or in one of our fleet of critical care cars, our teams deliver advanced treatment where it matters most, helping to give patients the best possible chance of survival and recovery.
Each year it costs £20 million to maintain our helicopters, critical care cars and the people behind this lifesaving service. On average, our teams reach patients within ten minutes, delivering expert care when every moment counts.
Born from necessity and sustained by courage, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity emerged when the region needed it most. What started as an idea became a lifeline.
A small group formally established ‘Air 5’, an innovative air ambulance service operating from Halfpenny Green Airport (now Wolverhampton Airport). The organization operated a Bolkow aircraft and was among the first services of its kind in the UK, functioning five days weekly.
Just six days after launch, ‘Air 5’ responded to its inaugural flight. The crew attended to a woman who had fallen on a mountainside near Hay on Wye, Powys. They stabilized her and transported her to Herefordshire Hospital in approximately six minutes, marking the charity’s first successful operation.
The airbase relocated to RAF Cosford in Shropshire, which remains the operational hub today. ‘Air 5’ was subsequently rebranded as ‘County Air Ambulance’ to reflect coverage across eleven English and Welsh counties.
Operational demand and increased fundraising enabled expansion of service hours to ten hours daily, seven days weekly. The organization subsequently extended coverage further, now providing a routine 13-hour daily service year-round, including night flights between illuminated helipads during winter.
‘County Air Ambulance’ launched its second helicopter and opened a new airbase at Strensham Services on the M5 in Worcestershire. This represented the first motorway-based air ambulance airbase in the country. An EC135 aircraft was leased from Babcock Mission Critical Services (formerly Bond Air Services), becoming the first such model used for ambulance purposes.
A third airbase opened at East Midlands Airport. Nine years later, this facility was relocated to Tatenhill in Staffordshire as part of regional air services reorganization.
The original Bolkow helicopter stationed at RAF Cosford was replaced with another EC135 aircraft, also leased from Babcock Mission Critical Services.
‘County Air Ambulance’ adopted the name “Midlands Air Ambulance Charity” to strengthen community affiliation and recognition across the service region.
The organization unveiled its first wholly owned EC135 helicopter (G-OMAA). Public donations and a £1.4 million legacy from Derek Bullivant funded the £4.5 million purchase. Originally based at RAF Cosford, the aircraft is now operational from Strensham.
Crews from Helimed03 and Helimed09 received the Emergency Services Award at the Pride of Britain Awards for their response to the Smiler Rollercoaster incident at Alton Towers.
Volunteer-managed Community Lit Landing Sites (‘CELLS’) were launched across Herefordshire and Shropshire to support helicopter emergency medical services in rural locations.
In collaboration with other UK air ambulance charities, the organization initiated a research trial investigating whether administering blood products at incident scenes would benefit patients.
Three BMW X5 rapid response vehicles entered operation. These vehicles enable crews to respond swiftly to emergencies when helicopters are grounded due to adverse weather conditions.
A second wholly owned H145 helicopter (G-RMAA) launched, funded through supporter donations. The aircraft is based at RAF Cosford, with aircraft redistributed across the three airbases for optimized coverage.
On June 1st, a critical care car service launched in Birmingham and the Black Country, operational from 7am to 7pm. The vehicle is staffed by a critical care paramedic and serves patients experiencing cardiac emergencies, sepsis, strokes, or respiratory crises.
The organization invested in advanced medical equipment kits and flight helmets for crew members, supported by a grant from the HELP Appeal.
A second critical care car equipped with advanced medical kits became operational in Worcester, running daily from 8am to 8pm, focused on treating cardiac events, sepsis, strokes, and respiratory emergencies.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the charity launched Sky Champs, a virtual educational program designed to support parents working remotely with children aged four to seven years.
Planning approval was granted for a new integrated airbase and charity headquarters facility. Ground works commenced later that year.
The organization became an independent emergency pre-hospital healthcare provider, directly employing critical care paramedics and pre-hospital emergency medicine doctors. It obtained Care Quality Commission registration and a Home Office medicines license.
The organization completed its 70,000th mission, reflecting increasing demand for rapid emergency response across the region.
The new airbase and headquarters facility, positioned strategically on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border, features improved office spaces, visitor areas, and advanced clinical training facilities. The development addresses challenges including increased patient complexity, population growth of 3% since 2020, and insufficient existing training infrastructure.
The CQC rated both the headquarters/airbase (formerly Cosford) and Tatenhill airbase as “outstanding” following initial inspection. Both facilities achieved outstanding ratings for safety, responsiveness, effectiveness, and leadership, with caring rated as good.
The organization surpassed 75,000 missions, representing approximately 40% more responses than any other UK air ambulance service.
A new H145 helicopter (G-HMAA) entered service on January 1st, 2025, with an experienced pilot and two critical care paramedics per mission. During its first week, it responded to ten incidents across multiple counties.
The Strensham Airbase received an “outstanding” rating from the CQC across all five assessment categories: safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness, and leadership.
The charity achieved its 80,000th mission, exceeding any other UK air ambulance charity. This milestone underscores the region’s reliance on rapid access to advanced critical care services.
The Strensham Airbase redevelopment project completed, featuring expanded hangars, modern crew facilities, and enhanced operational spaces. A £2 million donation from County Air Ambulance Trust HELP Appeal funded this project.
The organization marks 35 years of service since May 1991, celebrating its evolution through innovation and commitment to advanced clinical care delivery across the region.
Sir David Nicholson KCB CBE was appointed as the new patron, bringing extensive NHS and global health sector expertise to strengthen the charity’s mission delivering exceptional pre-hospital emergency care.
Sir David  holds several prominent leadership and advisory positions across the NHS and global health sector, and brings a wealth of expertise that will further strengthen the charity’s mission to deliver exceptional pre-hospital emergency care across the Midlands.
Sir David has decades of senior leadership experience within the NHS, including serving as Chief Executive of NHS England. During this time, he oversaw significant national reforms and championed improvements in patient outcomes. His strategic insight will support the charity as it continues to advance its clinical capabilities and invest in lifesaving critical care provision across its six county operational area.
He lives in Worcestershire with his wife and two children.
Clinical Quality and Operations Director / CQC Registered Manager
Critical Care Paramedic
Pilot
Pilot
Pilot
Critical Care Paramedic
Clinical Operations Manager / Critical Care Paramedic
Associate Clinical Operations Director / Critical Care Paramedic
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