New air ambulance base at Cosford will be 'vital development' for region
Plans for a new new Midlands Air Ambulance base at Cosford represent "a vital development for the whole of the region", according to the charity's bosses.
Shropshire Council has approved the proposals for the new Midlands Air Ambulance base at Cosford – the project now needs to be approved by the charity's board next month.
The charity said the purpose-built airbase and charity headquarters will benefit patients across the whole of the Midlands.
Hanna Sebright, chief executive of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Over our 30-year history, our charity has been driven by a commitment to continuously improve advanced pre-hospital patient care across the Midlands.
“We consider our new airbase and charity headquarters to be a vital development for the whole of the region. The new facility, located in Cosford, Shropshire, will feature clinical training facilities, which are fundamental to delivering the advanced training programmes required for our clinicians.
"This will ensure the critical care team are equipped to treat the increasingly complex patient cases and will enhance our daily lifesaving service.”
The charity said it continues to face a number of challenges, including the annual rising demand for advanced patient care on scene, the increased complexity of patient needs requiring specialist skills and medicines, and the fact there are insufficient training facilities for the critical care paramedics and doctors.
The purpose-built airbase and charity headquarters, which will include a clinical training simulation suite, is designed to address those issues for the long term.
A report by Shropshire Council planning officer, Richard Fortune, says: “There is substantial public benefit from the provision of this service and the case presented amounts to very special circumstances sufficient to justify this proposal.”
If Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s Board of Trustees approves the final details of the project, the organisation intends to start work on site this spring and it is expected to be completed by late 2022.
Initial funding for the new development has come from major grants from organisations such as the Department for Health and Social Care and the HELP Appeal.
In addition, the charity said it will use a proportion of its "modest reserves and undertake specific fundraising campaigns for areas of the new airbase, including the clinical simulation training suite, memory garden and community education zone".
For more information on the charity and its plans visit midlandsairambulance.com/airbaseheadquarters
