THE Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) which controls the funds of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal said this week it was considering relinquishing the trusteeship of the appeal.

The board of GWAS is the sole trustee of the appeal but the appeal is funded entirely by donations from the public, including the wages of the paramedics on board the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

People fear if GWAS pulls out of the partnership with Wiltshire Police for the joint police helicopter and air ambulance it will use the money in the Wiltshire Air Ambulance appeal fund, which amounts to over £1 million, to fund the recently launched air ambulance based in Filton. GWAS have denied this would happen as it says the appeal money is held in a restricted fund and would only be used to provide air ambulance services in the county and not for any other aircraft.

Former trustees of the appeal and current advisors to GWAS Ann Levick of Codford and Dr Richard Riseley-Prichard of Allington near Devizes have called for an independent body of trustees to be set up to run the appeal.

The Charity Commission has also said that trustees of air ambulance charities must not be directed by the local ambulance service.

When asked by the Gazette if GWAS would consider relinquishing the trusteeship of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal Victoria Eld, head of communications, said: "The strategic direction agreed for GWAS is to relinquish control of the charity to an arm's length body to improve governance.

"Discussions are currently underway with the Department of Health to ascertain if this is possible given that the funds are currently within an NHS charitable umbrella.

She added: "The board has yet to agree this because we need to work with the Department of Health first.

"The process we need to follow is, work with the DoH, then the arrangements would need to be signed off by the trustees of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and then the Charity Commission would need to agree the arrangements.

"In terms of a GWAS representative on the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal we need to see what the Audit Commission review recommends as good practice in terms of a relationship between GWAS and the Appeal."

Mrs Levick and Dr Riseley-Prichard met GWAS chief executive Tim Lynch, chairman Tony FitzSimons and Ms Eld last week and were told that GWAS was seeking to sign up for two years with Wiltshire Police to carry on using the police helicopter while it carries out a clinical review. The police want GWAS to sign up for five years.

Mrs Levick said: " We are pleased that GWAS are intending to transfer the trusteeship of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal to an independent body but it would be important that this independent board of trustees carries the confidence of the people of Wiltshire."