Priority remains 'unchanged' despite higher fuel prices, says Midlands Air Ambulance
The charity's associate clinical operations director estimates it is currently still paying "around about 60% more'" for fuel compared to before the conflict between the United States and Iran started
A charity which provides a lifesaving service across the Midlands has said it is continuing to deal and work with having to pay "significantly more'" for fuel.
Last week saw diesel prices in the UK hit a new record high according to figures from the RAC, with the average price of a litre of it being 200.01p on the Friday.
It worked out at being around 57.6p more expensive than at the start of the conflict between the United States and Iran back in February.
The Midlands Air Ambulance, who cover Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands and Worcestershire, run a helicopter-led emergency medical service, which includes a fleet of three helicopters, with them carrying out over 4,000 missions a year on average.
Associate clinical operations director, Julian Spiers, said prices for them had rose since the conflict began earlier this year in the Middle East, and were something the charity was "monitoring regularly".
"Aviation prices did spike initially, but they have reduced and they've sort of stabilised somewhat," he said.
"We're still paying around about 60% more than we were before the sort of conflict (between the United States and Iran) started.
"At the moment it appears that sort of supply is in good shape, but it is certainly the price per unit which is actually significantly more than it was."
The charity estimate each year it costs £20 million to be able to keep providing the service and maintain the three aircraft, along with its critical care cars.
Mr Spiers said while it had seen the increase in fuel prices, its focus hasn't altered.
"Despite that, our priority remains unchanged," he said.
"We're going out to patients to provide the lifesaving pre-hospital care that they need and when they need it.
"We look at each case on a case by case basis and we'll use the most appropriate resource we can to get there, that might be our helicopters, or it might be our fleet of cars that we use at night time."