Air ambulance expert David Philpott has pledged to establish the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal as an independent charity.

Mr Philpott was appointed chairman of the appeal on Thursday and his remit is to move the charity away from the Great Western Ambulance, which is the sole trustee.

GWAS pledged back in September 2008 to make the charity independent but no progress was made, to the frustration of air ambulance campaigners who believe there is a conflict of interest and that the NHS should pay the wages of the air ambulance paramedics and not the appeal.

But now GWAS has appointed Mr Philpott, who is respected for his expertise around the world, to bring about the change.

Mr Philpott, 52, who lives in Ashford, Kent, said: “Apart from the West Midlands, Wiltshire is the remaining air ambulance charity with a corporate trustee.

“It needs to dis-establish that arrangement and have an independent board that reflects Wiltshire in its diverse geography and skills mix.”

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance is funded entirely by donations and has to raise £500,000 a year. The air ambulance is a shared helicopter with Wiltshire Police.

Mr Philpott has been given one to two years to achieve the move to independent status. He plans to contact the campaigners who called for the appeal to become an independent charity as well as appeal volunteers, paramedics and Wiltshire Police.

On the issue of paramedic wages Mr Philpott said: “While I am not yet up to speed on the funding arrangements for clinical staff I will of course want to gain an understanding as quickly as possible and see if the procedures in Wiltshire are consistent with elsewhere in the country. ”

GWAS is paying the salary of Mr Philpott, which is £6,005 for 30 days a year. It is the first time the chairman’s post has been salaried.

Mr Philpott said he would use the salary to pay his petrol and accommodation costs when he visits Wiltshire but would not claim any expenses.

He said: “I will not financially benefit from this. I am not going to put an expenses claim in during the duration of my stay and if there is any surplus I will gift aid it to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal.”

Mr Philpott has ten years’ experience in the air ambulance sector. He set up the Association of Air Ambulance Charities and was chairman for three years until 2008.

He worked for Essex Air Ambulance and was chief executive of Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance, which he transformed.

He was headhunted by the London Air Ambulance last year but was sacked after just 12 weeks. He said he was compelled to investigate a number of allegations regarding the use of charity resources and it was while these inquiries were ongoing that he was asked to leave.

He is now a consultant for air ambulance charities, is interim chief executive of Magpas, an emergency medical charity in Cambridgeshire, and chairman of the Institute of Directors in Kent.

Speaking of Mr Philpott’s appointment Tony FitzSimons, chairman of GWAS, said: “This is a great opportunity for the appeal as he has extensive experience.

“The Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal is embarking on a very exciting and challenging time and I am sure that David’s experience will be invaluable.”