Hospital helicopter transfers (FOI)

​Request

There are two parts to this FOI request. Both relate to the use of helicopters for the transfer of patients to the UK (or other medical uses by the health department):

A

What was the total amount the States of Jersey health department spent on the use of helicopters in 2018? Please include all costs involved, those being the cost from the provider of the helicopter. Any fees charged by the airport / allied services (out of hours flying etc.), the costs of any staff that accompany these flights, the costs of these staff returning to the island, the costs of any further transport in the eg ambulance transfer from where the helicopter lands to the local hospital. Please also include any costs for transporting essential relatives who were not able to fly with the helicopter. There is no need to identify any suppliers by name.

B

For helicopter flights in 2018 and 2019 ideally on an individual basis, (please order in a manner that does not identify which flight is which - possibly in order of total time taken), how long between the clinical decision to fly the patient did the patient arrive in the UK hospital. Please do not give actual times in order to maintain confidentiality, just total times taken. If you are able to break the total time down, eg decision made to fly: 00:00 helicopter formally requested; 00:50 Helicopter arrived in island. 02:45 Helicopter departed Island 03:45 Helicopter arrived in UK 04:45 Patient arrived in hospital 05:00 Total time taken 5 hours. (Times above are from time decision made and not actual time eg midnight).

Response

A

With the exclusion of staff and return flights costs, which are the subject of variable carrier flight costs for both staff and relatives, the total amount spent on helicopters for 2018 totals £206,300.39. This was for the use of 13 helicopter events, broken down as follows:

• staff accompanying helicopter flights were already on duty or volunteered to undertake flights in their own time. Overnight, nursing and medical staff used were already on duty and therefore no additional costs were incurred

• information is not held in a format for the purposes of Freedom of Information for staff returning to the Island

• the costs for essential relatives not able to fly with the helicopter are not held in a format for the purposes of Freedom of Information

B

Times include a period of patient optimisation / stabilisation prior to secondary transfer and are not primary Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) transfers.

N.B: Please note any delays may have been due to UK mainland hospital acceptance of referral and / or bed availability.

All times are from the time the decision was made and not actual time eg midnight.

HEMS transfers