PATIENTS in Bunbury and the South West now have access to quicker and more affordable medical transport from the South West to Perth.
St John Ambulance launched their new Multi-Transfer Vehicle at Bunbury Regional Hospital on Friday with the official operation day set for September 7.
The bus size vehicle will comfortably transport up to 10 patients who do not need critical care from the South West to Perth hospitals or nursing homes.
The vehicle will have the same medical equipment and comfort standards as a single ambulance with one qualified paramedic and two patient transport officers on board to look after patients.
St John Ambulance service director Iain Langridge said they had recognised the demand for a regular, simplified and larger scale transport service from the South West to Perth.
“This is a one off vehicle in Australia, there is nothing else like this and we think it is going to be very useful to the region,” Mr Langridge said.
“This is a cheaper alternative for patients to be transported with the certainty of transfer at scheduled times.”
A new online system will make booking easier for hospitals and age care facilities.
Specialist training has been required for staff who are operating the vehicle and Perth area manager Phil Townsend has been responsible for training three paramedics who will be operating the vehicle.
“This is different to what our paramedics have done before because of the way the patient is cared for over a longer duration and they also have more patients to care for at one time,” Mr Townsend said.
“The unloading and loading of the patient is one of the biggest differences as well.
“There has been a lot involved in the training aspect of it and over the next few years more and more people will be trained."
This vehicle will aid in transporting large numbers of patients on a regular basis to Perth, whether it be for medical appointments or ongoing specialist treatments.
The average cost of a return transfer from Bunbury to Perth is almost halved through use of the new vehicle and is a cost-effective solution to non-emergency patient transfers.
He said the biggest challenge St John faced in the region was distance and communication to locate patients and to get them medical help quickly and if in a mass casualty event this was to happen, the vehicle would come in handy.
St John Ambulance CEO Tony Ahern said this was just the first vehicle and if successful, a few more vehicles could be a possibility given the rapid growth of the region.