Chopjock,
The cheaper helicopter - that's something I brought up half in jest. Not so much paramedics, as most people at the conference were running the doctor/paramedic model. It wouldn't be impossible to imagine a scenario where an R44 was used to deliver the medical team to the scene of an accident, they then do their work in preparation for a land ambulance transfer. It does happen quite often now
In seriousness though, there are a number of problems with this approach, including:
- what about landing in urban areas?
- a high number of accident victims do need transferring to specialist units, where the heli transfer is a must
Helisdw
No problem - I do believe that while there may be cases where the fundraising teams are in 'competition' with others (although this has improved markedly in the 5 years I have been associated with the AA service), the medical teams have always been keen to learn from one another.
I don't believe that you can relate the RNLI model to HEMS (or air ambulance) services. Local 'ownership' is key, a national structure would be too large to administer effectively and would lose the local enthusiasm. What does frustrate me slightly is that similar helicopters having completely different medical fits, for what seems to be local preference only. To the extent that one operator now has a 'spare' aircraft of a popular type, but has no idea what to fit it out with!
Mickeyjoebill
The audience there on Wednesday weren't really interested in their cost-effectiveness, they were much more into providing a service
You know that this is the holy grail, but I don't see how anyone will ever be able to definitively prove that 'this patient would have died if it wasn't for the air ambulance'. But my gut feel (with lots of anecdotal evidence) is that it's sure worth it. That's why I'm happy to invest so much of my time, which could be much better spent earning me a few extra quid!