STARS back in service in Manitoba
On 10 March, the Manitoba Province of Manitoba government gave the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) approval to resume responding to calls for emergency service with immediate effect, although it will still be barred from conducting inter-facility transfers.
On 10 March, the Manitoba Province of Manitoba government gave the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) approval to resume responding to calls for emergency service with immediate effect, although it will still be barred from conducting inter-facility transfers.
Health Minister Erin Selby said the move had been taken on the advice of medical professionals: “The decision to temporarily suspend STARS was a difficult one, but I rely on the advice of medical experts. The medical review process has been concluded, our medical team has signed off on the changes to address patient safety issues to its satisfaction, and STARS will now be resuming emergency calls. This is an important first step to getting STARS back into full service for Manitoba families and for emergency medical service in this province.”
The decision to resume emergency calls was based on several new measures undertaken by STARS to further enhance patient safety within its service, the minister said.
Andrea Robertson, CEO of STARS, said: “As an organisation that believes in continuous improvement, we’re committed to making any changes needed to ensure we provide the highest-quality patient care. This is a new day for STARS in Manitoba, and we look forward to getting back in the air, working with our partners to help save lives.”
The minister also announced the creation a new Clinical Oversight Panel, under the leadership of Dr Brian Postl, dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Manitoba. The Panel will provide patient-focused guidance and oversight for helicopter air ambulance service. This oversight will include training and accreditation for personnel, quality assurance for clinical operations, and guiding the eventual resumption of inter-facility transfers by STARS in Manitoba.
Postl commented: “The focus of the panel will be on patient safety, quality of service and reassuring public confidence in an integral component of acute emergency medical care to Manitobans.”
Joining Postl on the Panel are: Dr Renate Singh, associate medical director for Manitoba Air Ambulance; Dr Doug Eyolfson, associate medical director of the Medical Transportation Coordination Centre; Dr Doug Martin, base associate medical director for STARS Winnipeg; Dr J.N. Armstrong, chief medical officer of STARS; Dr. Tony Herd, associate medical director of Manitoba Ground Ambulance; and Arlene Wilgosh, CEO for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), or her designate.
Manitoba Health has begun taking steps to transfer the STARS service to the WRHA, which will oversee the province’s arrangement with STARS. This, said the Ministry, will enable medical crews to enhance their experience and training in Winnipeg’s high-volume emergency and critical-care medical system.