UK HEMS provider Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), which operates an EC135 helicopter, has appointed a head of operations to enhance leadership at the charity in light of the growing and more complex demands on its lifesaving service. Nick Tindal will join the charity next month, February 2021, in the new role, which will enhance the charity's current management team. From managing military operations, commanding ships to running a complex airbase, TIndal brings with him a wealth of experience in operational management and aviation.

He says: “I am very excited to join and help manage a charity that clearly does so much to save lives across a vast swathe of the West Country.

Tindal's most recent post was commanding officer at RNAS Yeovilton, the largest military helicopter base in Europe, where he was responsible for delivering critical aviation capability for UK warships and military operations across the globe. A helicopter pilot by profession, Nick started his career flying Sea King and Lynx helicopters from warships across the world. Previous roles span across the Ministry of Defence, Navy Command, where he led planning for future Royal Navy aircraft, and multiple tours at sea, where he had extensive accountability for complex aviation activity.

GWAAC CEO Anna Perry comments: “We are delighted to welcome Nick to Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. We are a small team, doing what we can with charitable funding, and the demands on our clinical crew have never been greater. Nick will bring focus to our operational management, allowing us to work more effectively with other organisations, and help us save even more people in need.”

GWAAC was formed in 2007 and is the youngest air ambulance in England and Wales. Over the last 13 years, the charity has seen many clinical advances, and operations have increased year on year, meaning the management has become more complex and challenging, developing the need for increased management capacity and expertise.

Tindal's new position of head of operations at the charity will provide leadership for operational crew and ensure that operations and premises are safe, compliant, effective, efficient and sustainable. He will seek to develop strategic change and implement initiatives to improve service delivery, helping to achieve GWAAC's strategic goals and continue to fulfil the charity's core focus of delivering the best pre-hospital emergency medicine to those in urgent need in GWAAC's region.