Aeromedical operator CareFlight has made its Newcastle base permanent after seven years of operations.
CareFlight announced last week that a King Air twin turbo-prop and a Beech B400A jet aircraft would now be stationed at Newcastle after operations first began in 2018.
“Newcastle is an ideal geographic base for patient transport services for residents in Northern and North-Western NSW, as well as for CareFlight’s Air Ambulance services in the Pacific region," said CareFlight CEO Mick Frewen
“We’re delighted to be improving the service we provide with NSW Health, giving patients from regional areas greater access to the very best level of healthcare to meet their needs, while ensuring they are transported with the highest standards of patient care and safety.”
CareFlight has based the aircraft in Newcastle to increase efficiency and its capacity to readily transport patients from regional and rural NSW to and from John Hunter Hospital, as well as specialist hospital facilities in Sydney.
NSW Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley, said the new base would have significant impact on the region.
“Now we’ve got a dedicated plane for regional NSW patient transport and a jet air ambulance for both local and international medevac services, meaning faster care for those who need it most,” she said.
“The NSW Government is excited to see CareFlight’s new service take off, adding to the other great healthcare improvements we have already.”
CareFlight receives over 100,000 calls for help annually, flying over 2 million nm to help 9000 people. The organisation operates three jets, eight King Airs and five helicopters.