MedSTAR is South Australia’s single emergency medical retrieval service.
Launched in March 2009, MedSTAR has been built on the foundation of over 30 years of critical care neonatal, paediatric and adult medical retrieval operations in South Australia.
Responsible for providing care to the critically ill and injured throughout the SA Health care region and beyond, MedSTAR is committed to providing a world leading emergency medical retrieval service. With the launch of a 24/7 dedicated Paediatric and Neonatal service component (MedSTAR kids) in February 2010, full single service implementation was achieved.
In the past 12 months MedSTAR performed 2243 retrievals, of which nearly 1500 were for critically ill or injured adults. Since the launch of MedSTAR kids in February 34% of MedSTAR patients were under the age of 18. In addition to critical care retrieval, MedSTAR also provides 24/7 clinical support and advice to country and metropolitan health services and the SA Ambulance Service.
Utilising road, rotary wing and fixed wing transport platforms, approximately 40% of all tasks have been performed by helicopter, 30% by fixed wing turbo-prop or jet aircraft and the remaining 30% by road ambulance. MedSTAR also performs back transfers of patients to rural and interstate facilities for paediatric and neonatal patients on a regular basis.
The service includes:
- distinctive identity, branding, red uniform and logo for MedSTAR Emergency Medical Retrieval.
- a single central retrieval clinical coordination, clinical advice and tasking centre co-located with SA Ambulance Service Emergency Operations Centre in Eastwood.
- an interim operational base located at Adelaide Airport (co-located with SA Ambulance Service Special Operations Rescue Paramedics) in close proximity to RFDS and the helicopter provider.
- a minimum of three dedicated adult retrieval teams available 24/7.
- a dedicated MedSTAR kids service component for the inter-hospital stabilisation and transfer of critically ill and injured neonates and children.
- dedicated SA Ambulance Service retrieval rapid response vehicles for rapid deployment of MedSTAR teams to metropolitan emergencies – both pre and inter-hospital.
- standardisation of equipment, training, pre-employment fitness assessments and operating procedures.
- the ongoing development and implementation of a robust system of Clinical Governance, risk management and Quality Assurance processes.
The governance of MedSTAR moved to SA Ambulance Service on 1 July 2010, improving MedSTAR’s alignment with emergency service delivery.