Annual Report 2025 Executive summary Devon Air Ambulance Trust Registered company no: 03855746 Registered charity no: 1077998
Executive summary of
Annual Report
2025
Thanks to the support of communities across Devon, 2025 was another year in which Devon Air Ambulance delivered lifesaving care to people when they needed it most.
Our
Vision
To end preventable death, disability and suffering from critical illness and injury.
During the year, our crews responded to 2,125 missions by air and land, including 395 night missions, providing advanced pre-hospital critical care to patients across Devon and neighbouring counties. We treated patients experiencing cardiac arrests, major trauma, road traffic collisions, agricultural incidents, and serious medical emergencies, while continuing to maintain the highest standards of clinical care.
Our
Mission To transform timecritical care through prevention, treatment and recovery.
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Report at a glance •
Operational demand remains high, crews were tasked to over 2,000 missions last year.
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We rely on the support of our communities and volunteers.
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Volunteers contributed 94,000+ hours last year.
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We generated £13.6m income, but have a £1.1m deficit.
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Without further support, we expect an underlying financial gap of approximately £2m per year.
To support our Mission and work towards our Vision we have three key aims to deliver our service:
Prevention Increase survival rates from out-ofhospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). Improve survival rates following road traffic collisions (RTCs). Broaden our impact through outreach and education initiatives. Treatment Increase our service delivery. Increase the scope of our practice. Maximise our availability. Recovery Offer tailored support for all our patients. Offer a peer-support programme. Establish a memorial garden and visitors’ centre.
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MISSION FACTS
5 2 0 2
We attended
Medical emergencies can impact lives anywhere and at any time. We’re there during those times of need.
trauma
medical
AIR & LAND missions
NIGHT missions
VOLUNTEER responder scheme
2,125 395 70
agricultural
equestrian
sports related
road traffic collisions
1,047 1,073 42 17 46 266
125 0 - 17yrs
754 18 - 69yrs
356 70+ Our busiest day
SATURDAY
Our busiest month
MARCH H
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ond BeyEmergency response This year we expanded our impact through prevention, treatment and recovery initiatives. Our Help with All Your Heart initiative continued to train and educate communities in CPR and defibrillator use, while our IMPACT Centre strengthened its reputation as a leader in post-collision research, receiving national recognition and awards for innovation. We also expanded our Aftercare Service, providing support to patients, families and bystanders following traumatic incidents. The year also saw significant progress across the wider charity. We opened a new retail shop in Tiverton, relocated our Exmouth shop, launched the flagship Heli Hike fundraising event and continued to grow our volunteer network, which contributed more than 94,000 volunteer hours in support of our work. We strengthened our digital infrastructure, enhanced staff development programmes and took further steps towards our vision of a new headquarters that will support future generations of patients, supporters and staff.
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Focused on our future While there is much to celebrate, the Annual Report also highlights the financial challenges facing Devon Air Ambulance and many charities across the UK. Rising costs, economic uncertainty and lower-than-expected income meant we spent £1.1 million more in 2025 on running our lifesaving service than we raised. These financial pressures are expected to continue throughout 2026, and we are anticipating a shortfall of around £2m. We rely significantly on generous gifts in Wills, but this income stream is inherently unpredictable and cannot be relied upon alone to fund the future of the service. The Charity has money set aside to protect against unexpected events and fluctuations in income and expenditure; however, we cannot rely on these reserves to continue to fill the income gap. If the cost of running the service continues to exceed the income we raise, reserves will run out in the next 2-3 years. In response to this challenge, we are taking action to secure the long-term sustainability of the service. This includes growing income through fundraising, retail, events, lottery, legacies and partnerships, alongside careful management of costs and investment in efficiency. Our focus remains unchanged: ensuring that everyone in Devon can continue to rely on rapid access to specialist, lifesaving care when the worst happens.
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Public support remains vital. We rely on your donations to keep us flying.
Operational demand remains high and costs continue to rise. But we are taking action. Crew are operational every day of the week
365
days a year
We are fuelled by our community
94,000+ volunteer hours
Average cost per mission
£4,500 per flight
£1.1M
Deficit in 2025
£2M
Expected shortfall in 2026
£400K
Cost savings and efficiency measures
Keeping our two helicopters airborne is vital and sits at the heart of our service. Readiness does not begin when the red phone rings. It depends on our aircraft being maintained, fuelled and equipped, our critical care cars being available and our specialist crews having what they need before the call arrives. However, the costs associated with maintaining that readiness have never been higher. Annual Report Summary 2025
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Annual Report Executive summary
Devon Air Ambulance Trust Registered company no: 03855746 Registered charity no: 1077998