Paramedics defend new air ambulance
IRISH College of Paramedics President Dr Shane Knox has launched a robust defence of the County Cork-based Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) which will serve Cork, Kerry, and other areas nationwide.
Based in Rathcoole, County Cork, Ireland’s first charity air ambulance was in Kerry Airport last week after the Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) signed a five-year contract with Sloane Helicopters for an AW-109 aircraft, pilot, and maintenance crew to provide the service.
Costing some €2m to run per annum, it will be staffed by HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) members and will be capable of reaching Dingle in under 25 minutes.
But the service has not been without controversy ahead of going live next month.
In an open letter, international HEMS experts said the service would not be up to be up to standards.
They explained that they were concerned that it will not have a doctor on board and will be led by paramedics.
“[It] will not be able to provide advanced pre-hospital medical and trauma care to the critically ill and injured patients it is tasked to,” the letter read, adding that life- and limb-saving procedures “cannot be provided outside of a physician-staffed model in Ireland.”
But while Dr Knox said he appreciates the opinion of other professionals, he was staunch in his defence in facing down the concerns.
He believes the provision of pre-hospital care in Ireland has improved considerably over the last 20 years and that paramedic education has been provided in conjunction with universities since 1997, “well ahead of other jurisdictions”.
“Whilst we may be considered by some as the ‘ Toyota’ and not the ‘Rolls Royce’, I would like to think we are part of the Toyota family aspiring to be a Lexus, remembering too that Toyota is ‘ the best built car in the world’!” he said.
“Ireland has a high standard of practitioner comparable to any ‘ best-practice’ international model.
“I have worked with the staff of HEMS 112 on many occasions and I am always impressed with the level of care all practitioners provide.
“If practitioners are tasked to different assets and require additional skills, then those additional skills, equipment and medications should be provided to allow them to perform optimally in the HEMS environment.
“I personally would be very content to see an experienced Advanced Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician from HEMS coming towards me at a scene, as either a colleague or indeed a patient,” he added.
He also described comparisons with areas such as Victoria in Australia as an “oranges and apples comparison”.
Victoria has a population of 6.3million, while the combined population of Cork and Kerry is less than 700,000.
Also, the Cork-based helicopter will respond to some 500 calls annually, covering an area of 10,000 square miles. Victoria’s service covers almost 90,000 square miles; has four HEMS and one retrieval helicopter; and responded to more than 2,100 HEMS in 2016-17.
Since the aeromedical unit based in Athlone in 2012, the unit has responded to some 2,500 calls, “with the majority of its calls related to medical emergencies, not trauma,” Dr Knox said in further response to concerns.
“In addition, we also have access to four strategically situated Irish Coastguard helicopters staffed by PHECC Registered Paramedics.
“In total, we have access to six helicopters and an additional HEMS resource in Northern Ireland,” Dr Knox calls