Prof. Simon Brown1,2, Dr Erica Kreismann1
1Ambulance Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 2University of Western Australia , Perth, Australia
Abstract:
The Tasmanian aeromedical and medical retrieval service has evolved substantially over the last 6 years. For decades it consisted of a single fixed-wing aircraft and received occasional assistance from medical staff with various levels of training, borrowed from nearby hospitals. It has now evolved into a comprehensive road, helicopter and fixed wing-based service operating out of two bases with dedicated Specialist Medical Practitioners (SMP) available 24/7 to respond alongside paramedics, and with improved funding for our associated NETS team. The implementation of a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS), staffed 24/7 with SMP, was pivotal in these service developments.
As of 2023, the Tasmanian Health Service (THS) now credentials SMPs in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine (PHRM) and has designated PHRM to be a Core Service under the Tasmanian Role Delineation Framework (RDF). The RDF recognises essential roles to include provision of medical team treatment for critically ill and injured people including in remote and wilderness areas (HEMS response), timely safe transport for urgent access to specialist care, a critical care management advice service (CCMAS), coordination of complex patient transfers, and disaster response. The service also supports system-wide quality improvement via incident review, policy and protocol development, and health professional training.
This talk will outline service priorities and objectives, some of the cultural challenges encountered while trying to achieve a ‘medical team’ ethos within an ambulance service, and our plans for the future.
Biographies:
Biographies to come