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DAA aircraft against sunrise at Eaglescott airbase

Vision, mission & values

Our organisational values are at the heart of everything we do to support our mission and realise our vision, operationally and as a charity. 

To end preventable death, disability or suffering from critical illness or injury.

To transform time-critical care through prevention, treatment and recovery.

Our values guide how we relate to each other, and inform the work we do and how we do it.

More about our values

Proud of our independence

Devon Air Ambulance Trust is a registered charity. Our ambition is to:

To be at the leading edge of outstanding delivery, development & transformation of critical care.

The Charity is wholly independent, which means that through the Devon Air Ambulance Trading Company (DAATC) we have our own Air Operating Certificate (AOC). Effectively the service and Charity are able to make more operational decisions without the need for a third party, therefore we can liaise directly with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Saving lives. Together

Devon’s two Air Ambulances are state-of-the-art Airbus Helicopters. They are both owned by the Charity, which has many advantages over leasing. In fact, we have realised savings of over £12,000 per month per aircraft since we bought them.

Our wholly owned subsidiary trading company holds the Air Operator’s Certificate making the service truly independent, with full control over all operational and developmental improvements.

We work closely with the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) which deploys the helicopters. Until spring 2019 our paramedic aircrew were employed by SWASFT and seconded to us, but we have since brought our crews ‘in-house’ and they are now employees of Devon Air Ambulance.

The Charity, together with the other Air Ambulance charities under the SWASFT umbrella, funds a specialist HEMS desk (helicopter emergency medical services) staffed by a team of six, based at the 999 control room. They monitor tasking and despatch the aircraft in order to optimise availability for the patients most in need.