Alderney lifeboat brings woman for treatment as fog grounds flights
Thursday 10th January 2013, 3:00PM GMT.
The Alderney lifeboat, Roy Barker I, going past the St Peter Port lifeboat and the Flying Christine after bringing in a woman in need of medical treatment who could not be flown here. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 1294293)
HEAVY fog shrouding Guernsey Airport meant long delays yesterday.
The fog meant that an Alderney woman needing medical attention was unable to take the usual means of emergency travel via an Aurigny medivac.
Instead, they were transported by the Alderney lifeboat, the Roy Barker I, which arrived in Guernsey just after 1.20pm, where an ambulance was waiting to transfer the patient to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
Grounded flights also meant UK union representatives were unable to make crucial meetings with island employees.
Wednesday 19 June
- No flats at Kings due to minister
- House and Home supplement
- HalfTIME junior sport supplement
- GP 200 LOOKback - Tragedy at Saints Bay
- Sport - High cost of GFC's Ryman League involvement
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
Union reps not able to meet employees? We should have fog more often :)
Report abuse
ED.
Sick joke.Hope your not hospitised in the very near future.Nurses are valuable in our hospital and need every support with their grievencies.
Report abuse
Another story that goes to show that the Flying Christine is a totally unnecessary luxury and surplus to requirements within a heavily States subsidised Ambulance service that is just bleeding public money. Far better for the States to give a small sum to the RNLI every year to cover the costs for the odd call out of the Bailiwick lifeboats.
Report abuse
Martino
Due to the fog Alderney aiport was closed. there was no other alternative way of transfering an emergency medical patient but by the Alderney lifeboat.
Time was important and the lifeoat was at base in Alderney to transfer rather than sending out the flying christine.time consuming.
I hope the patient in the P.E.H is recovering.
I salute our channel island life boat crews who give up their time to brave all elements
of our weathers to help others.
Report abuse
I agree entirely with what you say. Thank you for supporting my contention that, with the lifeboats of both Bailiwicks at our disposal, doing the excellent job that they do, there is no real need for the Flying Christine.
Report abuse
I’m not sure that islander is actually saying there is no need for the Flying Christine?
I certainly don’t agree – in my opinion using the lifeboat for medical cases is a bit like asking Guernsey Post to deliver parcels in a Mini, it can be done but the vehicle is not really suitable for the job that needs to be done.
I’m no expert but at a guess the Flying Christine must be far better equipped that the lifeboat for the smooth transfer and medical needs of the patient.
Report abuse
The lifeboats are perfectly adequately equipped to do the job, as this incident just goes to show.
The services of the Christine are required only a handful of times during the course of a year. It is an extremely expensive vanity vessel and a complete waste of money.
It’s like having a fully kitted out and staffed air ambulance plane on standby for just a few call outs a year. We do very well without the latter and we could well do without the former.
There are far more pressing things to spend our precious health budget on.
Report abuse
I agree with Kevin, the Flying Christine is needed on these Islands, but I am sure that, it was taken into account and time was the main element in this case.
But as usual everyone is aloud their opinion, I only hope Martino does not need medical attention, whilst enjoying one of our Bailiwick Islands!
Report abuse
Sorry, but I am not prepared for my tax payer £ to bale out this vanity project that is leaking money like a sieve.
The Flying Christine is a gold plated luxury. There are plenty of perfectly adequate options for transferring medical passengers between the islands without this vessel that is hardly ever used.
I repeat, what area of the health service would you like to see sacrificed to continue paying for this underused luxury item?
Report abuse
I do believe that only the road ambulance’s are supported by your tax and that the cliff rescue and inshore and Flying Christine are supported by charity side of St. John, hence why you could pay the extra if you wanted towards the Christine when you paid your Ambulance subs this year.
Report abuse
Agreed ,but the point here is, can we ‘afford’ both ?
Report abuse
The Flying Christine was built for purpose.To transport the injured and sick between the Baliwick.The lifeboat takes on distressing calls in all weathers.
This callout must have been an emergency to use the Alderney lifeboat otherwise the patient would have stayed hospitised in Alderney.
I assure you the Flying Christine is invaluable for its services and state of the art medical equipment.
I annually subcribe to the St John Ambulance services and feel if everybody working could subcribe then the States of Guernsey would not have to make up the shortfall that the service is experiencing at present
Report abuse
See the above. It is a gold plated luxury item. It is not essential, it is hardly ever used and when it is used there are other, far cheaper ways of doing the job. You really have had the wool pulled over your eyes on this one.
Report abuse
Sorry Martino, but I would be rather more inclined to accept that the lifeboat is suitable for medical transfers if it was coming from a couple of paramedics or medical professionals.
If you happen to be one then I’ll eat a slice of humble pie!
Report abuse
I’m not a paramedic or medical professional but we don’t need one of them to tell us the lifeboat is suitable for the job. We have clear, solid evidence, both from this latest lifeboat transfer and from the very prolonged period when the FC was completely out of action after crashing onto rocks off Sark. We managed well enough without it during all that time (over a year I believe) and we can manage well enough on a permanent basis, saving 100s of 1000s of £ into the bargain.
Report abuse
Martino,
We don’t have ‘clear solid evidence’ at all, yes the lifeboat did the job while the Flying Christine was out of action but as there was no alternative available that was the next best option.
Report abuse
Martino
We all have our opinion on safety at sea.The lifeboat is through donations and crew who risk their lives for free.
The Flying Christine is through donations too but this vessel has been adapted for medical calls of the baliwick. liners and other ships tranferring the sick to hospital.
The crew of this vessel work within the St Johns Ambulance sevice when not call out.
A short journey to the Rohais head quarters and also the lifeboat station would answer any queries you feel you need to be justified.
Report abuse
You clearly do not have a clue islander. Last year the Ambulance and Rescue (note the words ‘and rescue’) Service received a States grant of £2.1 million but it was still more than £800,000 in debt and received a further £500,000 ‘loan’ of from the States Treasury Department (public purse) that I doubt we will ever get back.
The Flying Christine is a totally unnecessary, gold plated addition to the service, which clearly is not being run efficiently and effectively.
It is because of people and politicians like you and kevin that we are in such a financial mess as a community. You clearly are incapable of distinguishing between what is desirable and what is essential. We will end up like Greece if we continue to go along with your sort of spendthrift mentality.
I don’t need to go to the Rohais to get to the nub of this matter. My case is watertight, unlike the FC when its crew contrived to steer it onto rocks a few years ago (we still don’t know the bill for putting right the repairs from that little escapade).
What I suggest you now do is study the Budget report for 2012. The figures you need are on page 71.
Report abuse
Martino,
Most people post opinions on this forum but since you obviously KNOW we don’t need the Flying Christine then there’s nothing else to say is there?
Report abuse