Loss of Ambulance Service of NSW Contract in The Sydney Region
In late 2006, the future of the Westpac Life Saver and CareFlight International helicopter services in the Sydney region was put in doubt. The NSW Government had sought a new tender to provide EMS services for the Sydney and Central West areas.
Mid December 2006, the NSW Health Minister, John Hatzistergos, announced that the Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC) had won the tendering process and subsequently the Westpac Life Saver and Careflight services in the Sydney region would end as of 31 December 2006.
The services of the Sydney Westpac Helicopter were terminated at the end of May 2007 whilst CareFlight, though losing its traditional contract, continues to provide doctors to the Ambulance Rescue Helicopters in Sydney and Orange. CareFlight also continues to provide two helicopters under contract to the NSW Government as part of the Head Injury Retrieval Trial, conducted from Sydney's Westmead Hospital.
Westpac Life Saver announced that they would continue their services after May 2007 by returning to their original purpose as a search and rescue helicopter as part of the Sydney Life Saving Australia.
Throughout the change over period, the general public and the Opposition NSW Government were outraged by the replacing a charity based, not-for-profit organisation with a profit-driven service.
While Westpac Rescue and the CareFlight helicopter services have always worked on the basis that no person in need should pay for the usage of the aircraft, the NSW Government-appointed CHC Helicopter services charge the NSW Government for the usage of their aircraft, under contract. Due to the changing nature of aeromedical services in NSW, most staff including specialist doctors and highly trained pilots are not volunteers, but are employed whilst working with CareFlight or Ambulance NSW. Westpac Rescue's Sydney helicopter operations are largely volunteer based.
As of December 2009 CHC are quietly trying to sell the Australian wing of the Emergency Helicopters. This follows a series of mishaps which have included engine failures, windows falling out of the aircraft, no installed air conditioning system inside the cabin as well as response delays to accident sites.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Services will continue to operate from the Newcastle/Hunter Region, Tamworth and Lismore bases under NSW Government contract. Sydney and Moruya bases operate under private arrangements on an ad hoc basis. No interstate operations were affected by the change in contract.
Read more about this topic: Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service
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