Careflight gets axed

[Guest Glenn]

The helicopter rescue service Careflight has been axed by the government in favour of a Canadian based operator, CHC. I believe the Westpac service is also being replaced by the Canadian operator.

 

The current crew including doctors aren't going without a fight. They say they will be out of a job because the new operator won't be up to the standard of Careflight and Westpac.

 

 

[Todd M]

Don't CHC have a part in south care? If they did this company is very much used to rescue missions, I personally consider South Care to be one of the best in Australia. So, to be honest, these two being taken over by CHC is fine by me aslong as CHC do the job to save lives and not just try and make a profit for themselves. Good luck to the Medics and pilots, I hope any transisition will enable them to keep their jobs. They do a great job already, it would be a shame to loose the force behind our rescue missions.

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Source: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ ... 61,00.html

 

Doctors threaten to boycott helicopter dealTHE NSW Government hopes to negotiate with angry doctors threatening to boycott the new helicopter rescue service handed to a Canadian company in a multi-million dollar deal.

 

But if the 35 CareFlight doctors did walk away, the Government said today it could cope without them.

 

NSW Health Minister John Hatzistergos caused an outcry yesterday with his announcement that CHC Australia had won the contract to replace helicopters operated by NRMA CareFlight and Westpac Life Saver Surf Rescue.

 

The four new twin-engined helicopters, to be based in Sydney, Wollongong and Orange, have been touted as "bigger, safer and better" and able to fly 30 per cent faster than the current choppers.

 

Mr Hatzistergos said today he understood the disappointment of those with long-standing relationships with the current operators.

 

Health authorities and the NSW Ambulance Service had been in negotiations with them since yesterday, he said.

 

"We are anxious to continue working with CareFlight and Westpac Surf in this period and, of course, beyond that," Mr Hatzistergos said.

 

"We are anxious to continue their involvement with the new service and the new provider."

 

But patients' needs came first, he said.

 

"If we are committed to the patients, first and foremost, like we should be, then we need to get those helicopters up in the air as soon as possible," Mr Hatzistergos said.

 

There were enough specialist doctors employed in the public sector to adequately staff the new choppers if they lost the CareFlight doctors, he said.

 

"We do in the NSW Ambulance Service have our own medical retrieval service," Mr Hatzistergos said.

 

"We do have the capacity to provide additional assistance should that be required."

 

Despite the perception that the current rescue service was working well, it was actually operating dangerously close to capacity, said NSW Ambulance Service chief executive Greg Rochford.

 

Currently, 27 critical care patients are made to wait more than two hours for a helicopter while a further 12 wait over three hours.

 

"That's raising the level of clinical risk. So, there's not been a tragedy in the system at the moment but there have been near misses," Mr Rochford said.

[Guest Glenn]

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20 ... 02,00.html

 

CareFlight doctors threaten walk-outDOCTORS from the NRMA CareFlight service have threatened to walk off the job unless the NSW Government reverses a decision to hand the service to a Canadian multi-national company.

 

At an emergency meeting at their Westmead Hospital base today the doctors said the Canadian proposal would ultimately put lives at risk.

 

The doctors are not satisfied that proposed new management and equipment will meet the hefty safety demands of their job, and fear they could compromise patients and themselves.

 

CareFlight doctor Luis Gallur said the Government's decision had effectively killed off the CareFlight service, whose Government contract runs out at the end of the year.

 

"The group of doctors here are employed by CareFlight but as of December 31, there is no CareFlight," Dr Gallur said.

 

Dr Gallur said in order to keep an emergency air service unit in operation, the Government would have no choice but to take out unqualified junior doctors from already over-stretched public hospitals.

 

The doctors say they are still looking to negotiate a solution with the State Government.

[Todd M]

I am going to say this in the nicest way possible, but i think the Careflight and Westpac crew need to read into CHC abit more. CHC seem to be more than happy to take them on, and CHC will not emply underqualified doctors on their aeromedical services. CHC will only emply those who have had experience, or are certified for Aeromedical services. Or if they did get doctors sourced from elsewhere, the persons will be trained to the highest standard of the company. CHC runs many other services in Australia and can provide more and better helicopters and equipment to help save more lives, so in short I am a supporter of the CHC contract. or even shorter, I agree with Robbo.

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Update on this via email from the minister of health

 

Dear Mr InwoodThank you for your correspondence regarding CareFlight’s role in future helicopter emergency rescue services.

 

CareFlight and the NSW Government have reached an agreement to secure the future involvement of CareFlight in emergency helicopter services.

 

This is good news for the people of Sydney and Orange: it is a win for CareFlight and a win for the community.

 

CareFlight provides not only an essential service, but also a much loved service. I’m delighted that they will continue to provide this vital service in the skies above NSW.

 

As part of the agreement:

 

• CareFlight’s medical crew will work on designated new aircraft;

 

• CareFlight and the Government have agreed on a process for negotiating an ongoing naming and sponsorship deal for the new helicopters; and

 

• the NSW Government has given in principle support to the expansion of

 

CareFlight’s Head Injury Retrieval Trial.

 

This means CareFlight will continue to have a vital role in emergency helicopter rescue.

 

This new direction for emergency helicopters is a win for CareFlight, patients and for our community.

 

Yours faithfully

 

(John Hatzistergos)