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The NSW government will invest an extra $158.8 million into three new regional NSW Ambulance helicopter bases as part of the upcoming state budget.
The new bases, to be built in Port Macquarie, Wagga Wagga and Moruya, will be added to NSW Ambulance’s existing aeromedical network of 12 helicopters and six bases. The funding announced this week is in addition to $126.6 million already invested by the Minns government.
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“NSW Ambulance helicopter operations clinicians attend more than 4200 incidents every year,” said Dr Dominic Morgan, chief executive of NSW Ambulance.
“The new helicopter bases mean a NSW Ambulance helicopter will be able to fly to the majority of towns across the state within 60 minutes.”
According to the government, the expansion will “optimise ambulance helicopter response performances to ensure timely access to emergency care across these rural and regional communities”.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the new bases will “further improve our response capability right across the state, whether it’s a medical emergency, a motor vehicle accident or a natural disaster”.
“This budget delivers on this challenging but important work to rebuild essential health services and will help drive better health outcomes for patients in regional and rural parts of the state by providing quicker access for NSW Ambulance critical care medical teams to incidents in remote locations,” he said.
“With over $285 million now dedicated to this project, we are proud to back in the incredible work of our NSW Ambulance crews with the facilities and resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively.”
The announcement comes after NSW Ambulance earlier this month completed a two-month trial using drones for search and rescue operations.
Conducted in partnership with Toll Aviation, the Remotely Piloted Aeromedical Clinical Systems (RPACS) trial was aimed at improving operational speed and safety in remote or hard-to-reach areas, with seven paramedics from critical care and special operations trained to operate the drones.
Each RPACS drone has thermal imaging and high-intensity searchlights and can carry essential items to the site of an incident. Loudspeakers and live-streaming capabilities allow for secure, two-way communication between patients and medical responders.
The drones can deliver medical supplies, including defibrillators, blood, and antivenom, up to seven kilometres away while reducing demand on aeromedical helicopters.
