LifeFlight’s Bundaberg base has entered a new aeromedical era with 24/7 doctor coverage for the first time.
The move followed an agreement earlier this month between LifeFlight and Queensland Health to expand aeromedical coverage for the Wide Bay and Burnett region and beyond with doctors on all flights, day and night.
One of the base’s new doctors Kit Harvey praised the move, saying it delivered world-class pre-hospital medical care no matter when and where it was needed.
“I think it is going to be a great addition to the services that can be provided,” Dr Harvey said.
The outdoor adventure enthusiast recently underwent a week of intensive aeromedical training at the LifeFlight Training Academy at Brisbane Airport to prepare for his new role at LifeFlight.
He recently worked as an emergency doctor and anesthetic registrar at Hervey Bay Hospital where he was exposed to LifeFlight’s work.
“We’ve always had a lot of pickups from LifeFlight, which have been fantastic, really reassuring when they come in the door and they’re able to transport critically ill patients to tertiary centers in the major cities for lifesaving care,” Dr Harvey said.
“The training here has been incredibly comprehensive, and it’s kind of exposed us to all kinds of possible scenarios that we may come across whilst working for LifeFlight.”
Bundaberg-base co-clinical lead Doctor Richard Parker said LifeFlight had been working towards 24/7 coverage since August 2022.
Doctors first began working on the Bundaberg helicopter on weekends before progressing in 2023 to cover the entire week.
Dr Parker said the new 24/7 doctor roster introduced this month brings peace of mind to residents of one of the largest regions.
“Having the doctor on board reassures the people of the Wide Bay and Burnett Region that we will there 24/7. We get all of our registrars trained up from day one so as soon as that clock starts on their first shift they are ready to go,” he said.
The majority of Bundaberg and Wide Bay patients – almost 70 per cent – are high acuity time critical transfers mostly coming from smaller hospitals.
The Bundaberg base has seen a 37 per cent increase in interfacility transfers, a 33 per cent increase in primary missions and a 30 per cent increase in road accident patients since August 2022.
Dr Harvey is one of 29 new doctors supporting communities across the state from the southeast to northern Queensland.
LifeFlight HUET Manager Mick Dowling said the rigorous training doctors experienced was part of what attracted doctors to LifeFlight.
“The doctor training that we provide is very competitive, so we get a lot of doctors applying because of the standard of training that they’re receiving from industry experts,” he said.
He said the HUET training was particularly challenging for doctors but was a test many relished.
“When we get the doctors first in for this training, they’re all a little bit nervous and anxious because it’s a situation they haven’t been put into previously,” he said.
“But we’ve got a softly, softly approach that we take to get them through this training and it can be quite challenging.
“It’s great watching them build confidence. They are always willing to jump in and get it done and then they’re moving on to help us out in the community with regard to their doctor skillsets.”
The intensive aeromedical academic and practical training program also included rescue winching and challenging clinical scenarios to ensure the doctors are fully prepared.
LifeFlight Medical Director Dr Jeff Hooper said doctors were prepared for a range of situations they may face in the field such as treating people injured by animals in a paddock or roadside following a motor vehicle crash.
“These are austere environments and are very different to what they are used to in the hospital system,” Dr Hooper said.
“We find the training that we do is really intense, it’s very realistic and it means that the doctors are really ready to go for any challenge they may face in the job.”
LifeFlight is the largest employer of aeromedical doctors in the country with more than 180 medical professionals.
All doctors go through simulated scenarios at the Queensland Combined Emergency Services Academy where they put their clinical skills into practice.
LifeFlight helped 8,497 Queenslanders in the past financial year – 3.9 per cent higher than the previous year.
Bundaberg-based LifeFlight critical care doctors helped 306 people in FY25, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.
The majority of LifeFlight critical care doctors’ work is performed on behalf of Queensland Health, tasked by Retrieval Services Queensland, within Queensland Ambulance Service.
