Our Impact News Delivering life-saving care on the ground: Our critical care and outreach cars When most people think of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, the helicopter is often the first thing that comes to mind. However, our life-saving service extends far beyond the aircraft itself. Every day, our critical care and outreach cars deliver treatment by road, strengthening care across Dorset and Somerset, and undertake vital outreach work. Our critical care car Available daily between 7:00am and 2:00am, our critical care team responds using a Skoda Kodiaq response car whenever flying is not possible due to weather or operational constraints. What's onboard Fully converted through the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASfT) to meet ambulance regulations, it carries: Life-saving resuscitation equipment Advanced patient monitors Ultrasound Blood gas analysers State of the art ventilators Blood products Blood and fluid warming capability Environmental protection for patients Surgical equipment Extrication stretcher Advanced airway equipment Medicines not carried by normal ambulances Find out more What is critical care? Critical care in the pre‑hospital environment focuses on the most seriously ill or injured patients. These are the patients who need interventions beyond standard ambulance response, bringing hospital level care to scene. At DSAA, critical care is available by air or by road. The team is made up of a doctor and specialist practitioner in critical care, both of whom specialise in pre-hospital emergency medicine and are trained to handle complex medical emergencies. Critical care offers advanced interventions such as: Blood transfusions Surgical procedures Sedation Anaesthesia These interventions, combined with expert pain management, help stabilise patients in critical conditions, giving them the best chance of survival before they reach hospital. Outreach cars Operating between 10:00am and 10:00pm, we also deploy two outreach cars, one based in Dorset and one in Somerset, these are named DORC (Dorset Outreach Car) and SORC (Somerset Outreach Car). Crewed by Specialist Practitioners, these vehicles enable us to respond to emergencies, providing an additional enhanced care capability by road across Dorset and Somerset. Fully converted to ambulance standards through SWASfT, they carry advanced equipment, including ultrasound, blood gas analysers and ventilators, giving our clinicians what they need to work safely and effectively. Our outreach cars are tasked to jobs by the same dispatch team that task the aircraft and critical care car. Outreach car clinicians: Focus on outreach and engagement activity with emergency service colleagues Support ambulance crews on scene with enhanced clinical assessment and treatment Respond to emergencies by road Help manage situations where multiple serious incidents are happening at the same time Beyond emergency response, our outreach teams spend time working alongside ambulance crews, attending training and engagement sessions, and building strong relationships that improve patient care across the region. What is enhanced care: Enhanced care is the crucial level between a land ambulance and full critical care, giving ambulance crews additional clinical capability when needed. Delivered by the Specialist Practitioners in Critical Care (SP‑CCs) based on the outreach cars, enhanced care brings advanced skills, clinical decision‑making, specialist equipment and medicines beyond the scope of normal ambulances directly to the scene. SP‑CCs can support and guide treatment on-site and have direct access to the air ambulance duty doctor for further clinical advice if required. Enhanced care: Supports patients earlier in their care journey Provides additional capacity when air and land resources are both needed Strengthens our response to critically ill and injured patients wherever they are It means more patients across Dorset and Somerset gain access to advanced assessment, treatment and decision-making much earlier in their care journey. 🎥 Watch: Behind the scenes with our outreach car See how our outreach team delivers enhanced care at the roadside and supports patients across Dorset and Somerset in this behind‑the‑scenes film. Why the cars are a vital part of our service Together, our critical care and outreach cars help us: Reach patients when the helicopter is unavailable Respond to simultaneous emergencies across the region Deliver hospital‑level care by road Support ambulance crews and emergency services on scene Strengthen patient pathways through outreach, engagement and collaboration They are a vital part of how we deliver life‑saving care to people across Dorset and Somerset. Read more about the care we provide Manage Cookie Preferences