❓ Ms Mettam questions the cost, justification, and prioritisation of implementing consultant physician crewing on the Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service (ERHS), particularly in comparison to regional needs and volunteer services. The Minister's response outlines the rationale behind the decision, implementation plans, and benefits.
AnsweredQoN 1587Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to your response to the ‘Chief Health Officer’s Inquiry into Aeromedical Services in Western Australia 2022’ and the implementation of Recommendation 6.3 to include crewing by consultant medical practitioners as the second clinical crew member in selected platforms and/or at selected bases, and I ask : (a) What is the current estimated recurrent cost and the anticipated timeline for implementing the dual clinical crewing model (Recommendation 6.3) using consultant medical practitioners on the Emergency Rescue Helicopter Service (ERHS); (b) What specific clinical data or research, particular to the Western Australian context, justifies the decision to mandate consultant physician crewing, given existing international research shows no significant difference in mortality/survival benefit of consultant physician Helicopter Emergency Medical Services over specialised Critical Care Paramedic crewing ; (c) What is the rationale for applying the proposed consultant medical practitioner crewing model only to the Perth (Jandakot) ERHS base and explicitly excluding the Bunbury Rescue Helicopter Service base from this deployment; (d) How is the significant recurrent cost of Recommendation 6.3 justified as a value-for-money investment when contrasted with the Inquiry’s finding that the WA aeromedical system is significantly under-resourced in terms of regional rotary wing platforms; (e) Why have resources been prioritised for the high-cost crewing model of recommendation 6.3 over the immediate expansion of ERHS Rotary Wing services to regional hubs, given the Inquiry’s analysis indicated an unmet rotary wing caseload need, particularly in the Kalgoorlie/Goldfields region and Geraldton; (f) Given the heavy reliance on ambulance volunteers throughout regional WA, what analysis was performed to determine that funding the high operational cost of the recommendation 6.3 consultant physician model would provide a greater public benefit than directing equivalent funds toward increasing permanent, career paramedic positions or improving support for critical regional volunteer ambulance services; (g) Will the planned shift towards consultant medical crewing in the ERHS, which may increase tasking to inter-hospital transfers (IHPT), result in the service becoming unavailable or delayed for its core function of time-sensitive primary emergency response; and (h) Given the ERHS's relatively low mission volume (averaging approximately 749 missions per year) and the current strain on metropolitan hospitals, what cost-benefit analysis justifies permanently depleting the availability of highly experienced consultant medical practitioners from the hospital system to staff this low-volume service, averaging less than 2 cases per 24 hours?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 February 2026
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
1 days
(a) Consistent with the Chief Health Officer’s Inquiry into Aeromedical Services in WA (the Inquiry), planning is underway to implement an interprofessional physician-paramedic crewing model in 2026.
(b) The Inquiry drew on significant national and international evidence, including consultant physician involvement in pre-hospital and retrieval teams, as detailed in Appendix 7 of the Inquiry.
(c) The intent is that interdisciplinary crews will be implemented at both Perth (Jandakot) and Bunbury over a phased approach, with appropriate planning and evaluation.
(d) – (e) The Inquiry supports enhancing rotary-wing capability, improving equity, outcomes, and system resilience for WA’s population. It recommends immediate implementation of Recommendation 6.3, while expansion of rotary-wing services requires further analysis and consultation.
(f) Volunteer ambulance services are vital to WA’s regional emergency care system, however the Inquiry identified advanced capability is needed for prolonged, time-critical retrievals. Recommendation 6.3 addresses this gap with physician-paramedic crews on the ERHS to deliver tertiary interventions and support regional clinicians, complementing volunteer services. Since the inquiry, the State has made a significant investment in strengthening regional ambulance services.
(g) No.
(h) The physician–paramedic model addresses unrealised capacity and a critical capability gap, enabling care based on patient need. In WA’s long-distance context, early senior medical intervention improves equity and strengthens timely access to definitive care. Leveraging clinicians outside full-time hospital roles adds system capacity and resilience for major incidents, delivering statewide benefits that outweigh low-volume measures.
(b) The Inquiry drew on significant national and international evidence, including consultant physician involvement in pre-hospital and retrieval teams, as detailed in Appendix 7 of the Inquiry.
(c) The intent is that interdisciplinary crews will be implemented at both Perth (Jandakot) and Bunbury over a phased approach, with appropriate planning and evaluation.
(d) – (e) The Inquiry supports enhancing rotary-wing capability, improving equity, outcomes, and system resilience for WA’s population. It recommends immediate implementation of Recommendation 6.3, while expansion of rotary-wing services requires further analysis and consultation.
(f) Volunteer ambulance services are vital to WA’s regional emergency care system, however the Inquiry identified advanced capability is needed for prolonged, time-critical retrievals. Recommendation 6.3 addresses this gap with physician-paramedic crews on the ERHS to deliver tertiary interventions and support regional clinicians, complementing volunteer services. Since the inquiry, the State has made a significant investment in strengthening regional ambulance services.
(g) No.
(h) The physician–paramedic model addresses unrealised capacity and a critical capability gap, enabling care based on patient need. In WA’s long-distance context, early senior medical intervention improves equity and strengthens timely access to definitive care. Leveraging clinicians outside full-time hospital roles adds system capacity and resilience for major incidents, delivering statewide benefits that outweigh low-volume measures.
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