AMBULANCE bosses said this week there were no plans to scrap the Wiltshire Air Ambulance but admitted that the service was under review.

Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) say that air ambulance cover would continue to be provided for Wiltshire but could not say how that would be done raising fears that the current Air Ambulance shared with Wiltshire Police helicopter would be axed.

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Police helicopter is able to fly at night due to the specialist equipment it has onboard but a stand alone (or dedicated) air ambulance would not be able to fly at night due to Civil Aviation Authority rules.

A dedicated air ambulance would cost in the region of £1 million a year to run compared to the £350,000 that it costs to keep the Wiltshire Air Ambulance flying.

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance is funded entirely by donations from the public and costs GWAS nothing.

A new air ambulance based in Filton is due to be launched in July, principally to cover the Avon area. It will operate during daylight hours only and during the night care will be provided by a doctor and paramedic in a car.

A separate charity has been set up to raise money to pay for the Filton based helicopter and Karl Henderson, director of finance at GWAS, said the funds in the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal, currently over £1million, were not being used towards it.

He said the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal was a restricted fund and would be used to providing air ambulance cover in Wiltshire Ozzie Rawstorne, clinical director at GWAS and who is leading a review of air ambulance cover in Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire, said a new air ambulance covering Wiltshire could be manned with paramedics or a doctor and a paramedic.

The existing Wiltshire Air Ambulance has a paramedic and police observer on board.

GWAS want to carry on sharing the Wiltshire Police helicopter for another year when the lease is due for renewal this December although the Gazette understands the police want to extend it for five years.

Mr Rawstorne said the one year extension would give them time to undertake the review after which options would be presented for public consultation.

Tony FitzSimons, chairman of GWAS, said GWAS wanted to improve air ambulance cover.

He said: "There will be a dedicated air ambulance capability for Wiltshire. At the end of the review we will make a proposition which in our judgement will be the best value for money in terms of clinical provision but we will lay out the options in a consultation process for people to express a view. Are the people of Wiltshire prepared for it to cost more to provide a better clinical care capacity?

"There are restrictions with the police helicopter, it can only carry one paramedic. A shared approach with the police is not the only way to provide air ambulance cover."

Wiltshire Police declined to comment.