THE chief executive of the Lancashire Ambulance Service has backed calls for the NHS to fund air ambulances.
The move was put forward by the National Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales at their recent national conference in Harrogate.
Mr David Hill, also the chairman of the trustees of North West Air Ambulance, welcomed the calls but warned that competing demands on government coffers meant the air ambulance still needed public support.
Mr Hill said: "It is pleasing to see the support that mommunity health councils have given to air ambulances. This is a vote of confidence in the way the North West Air Ambulance is being operated and the life-saving work it is performing.
"From the outset we have always made it clear that the service would be funded entirely separately from NHS resources, with the help of sponsorship initially from the AA and hopefully from other major companies in the future, underpinned by local support from the people of the North West."
He added: "There is a case to be made for government funding, but we must acknowledge that there are many demands for use of more public monies.
"Perhaps in time NHS monies may be made available for the North West Air Ambulance."
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