New Busselton Royal Flying Doctor Service transfer base to help service keep up with increased demand

A new $270,000 Royal Flying Doctor Service facility at Busselton-Margaret River Airport aimed at more efficiently transferring patients between aircraft and emergency services, opened on Monday. It is situated at the end of the airport, away from other aircraft and fully protects the personnel and patients from the conditions. Before the new shed, RFDS operators had to deal with commercial traffic, a subpar structure and a lack of privacy for patients being transferred. The Federal Government contributed $214,073 to the project as part of round two of the Regional Airports Program, while the City of Busselton put in $58,031. RFDS’ LifeFlight PC-24 jets, Heli-Med Service helicopters and Pilatus PC-12 aircraft will utilise the new airport space. Feedback is positive from RFDS personnel who say they are excited by the new facilities with even basics like a toilet tipped to drastically improve patient care. RFDS head of medical Roberto Radici said the facility would help with the wide variety of patients the service deals with. “I’d say it’s an essential item — we’re not holding up the air traffic at the airport, we’re reducing that time of transit for a patient and we can do the movement from ambulance stretcher onto our own stretchers in a nice space that’s enclosed,” he said. “Sometimes we do need to do extra treatment on the ground before we can get airborne and this is just an ideal space to do exactly that.” For RFDS pilot Jason Parsons, the shed will mean he is able to transport patients more quickly and efficiently. “It makes it more efficient for us to get going and then once we’re airborne, we can be on our hospital pad in the city within the hour,” he said. “Generally it’s around 45 minutes to 50 minutes to our transit back so it makes the turnaround time quite more efficient.” The upgrade will prove important for the RFDS as its crews landed at the airport 223 times in 2023 — the third most in the State, only behind Rottnest Island and Bunbury. Ease of access for the service is needed now more than before with a 24 per cent increase in South West patient retrievals in 2023 compared to the previous year. Acting City of Busselton mayor Anne Ryan said the expansion was a welcome addition for the community and was part of an expanding airport. “The dedicated facility was much needed and timely,” she said. “Busselton-Margaret River Airport’s flight services have continued to evolve with an ongoing increase in passenger and FIFO flights. “This increased airside activity meant that the central apron was often allocated or full, which impacted access for essential medical services.”