NZ trials centralised air ambulance dispatch
A two-year trial to centralise the co-ordination and dispatch of New Zealand air ambulance helicopter services began on 20 February, announced emergency responder charity St John.The charity noted that the trial has been funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). The NZ$591,000 project is the result of a collaboration between St John, Wellington Free Ambulance and Air Rescue Group. An ‘Air Desk’ staffed by two clinical support officers (CSO) will be on call 15 hours a day, seven days a week from a base in Auckland Clinical Control Centre. “The CSOs are all paramedics trained to intensive care level and the six staff appointed to the role all have air sector experience,” said St John director of clinical operations Norma Lane. “The experience is important because we want to ensure that the most appropriate air ambulance services are dispatched at the most appropriate times in order to optimise clinical outcomes for patients in urgent need.” The Air Desk will be used to centralise the dispatch and co-ordination of all emergency air ambulance helicopter resources in New Zealand. It will assess calls to make sure the correct type of helicopter and staff will be sent to an accident scene. Lane continued: “At times, the helicopter closest to an incident may not be the right one, so the Air Desk staff will play a key role in determining which aircraft and available staff are best for the situation at hand. They will work closely with land-based response teams and will be particularly valuable in situations where there are many medical trauma victims and where accessibility for land-based crew is difficult.”
A two-year trial to centralise the co-ordination and dispatch of New Zealand air ambulance helicopter services began on 20 February, announced emergency responder charity St John.
The charity noted that the trial has been funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). The NZ$591,000 project is the result of a collaboration between St John, Wellington Free Ambulance and Air Rescue Group. An ‘Air Desk’ staffed by two clinical support officers (CSO) will be on call 15 hours a day, seven days a week from a base in Auckland Clinical Control Centre.
“The CSOs are all paramedics trained to intensive care level and the six staff appointed to the role all have air sector experience,” said St John director of clinical operations Norma Lane. “The experience is important because we want to ensure that the most appropriate air ambulance services are dispatched at the most appropriate times in order to optimise clinical outcomes for patients in urgent need.”
The Air Desk will be used to centralise the dispatch and co-ordination of all emergency air ambulance helicopter resources in New Zealand. It will assess calls to make sure the correct type of helicopter and staff will be sent to an accident scene.
Lane continued: “At times, the helicopter closest to an incident may not be the right one, so the Air Desk staff will play a key role in determining which aircraft and available staff are best for the situation at hand. They will work closely with land-based response teams and will be particularly valuable in situations where there are many medical trauma victims and where accessibility for land-based crew is difficult.”