Managing Director Flying High!

For Release:  Thursday December 17, 2009

Managing Director of Bristol based BNS Management Services, Andrew Simmonds, has recently been appointed a Trustee of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.

Andrew, being a regular contributor to other charitable organisations, most notably the organiser of the highly successful, annual, Downed (Round Table) Fireworks Spectacular which raises thousands of pounds for local causes.

Following this announcement, he commented “It is with great pride that I have been asked to join the team on the Board of the local Air Ambulance and I hope to develop the charity’s awareness in the region”.

Great Western Air Ambulance entered operational service on 3rd June 2008 operating from its base at Bristol Filton Airport.

The new service is a result of a working partnership between the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, Melvyns Trust (a newly forming charity awaiting its charity registration) and the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

The aircraft is a state of the art Bolcow 109 equipped with the most sophisticated medical equipment and operating to a highly specialised medical model.

The objective is the provision of a sustainable Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) within the area covered by the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Covering the counties of Avon, Gloucestershire, North Somerset and Wiltshire an area of 3,000 square kilometres and serving a resident population of 2.2 million people together with a transient and visiting population, heavy industrial sector as well as sporting and leisure activity then clearly a complex and dynamic society places an annual emergency demand of over 220,000 calls on the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Of these circa 25% will be classified as category A-life-threatening, and of these 5-10% will be of critical injury or illness in nature.

The service helps to provide a fully effective and integrated road and air response emergency medical system that meets best practice response standards and outcomes for patients.