SA Ambulance Service MedSTAR

MedSTAR is the emergency medical retrieval service of the South Australian Ambulance Service, a government service. It is based in Adelaide. It gives rapid critical care and transport to very sick and injured patients. MedSTAR coordinates transport and does not fly its own aircraft. It uses helicopters, contracted fixed-wing planes and other transport.

Services

The service gives clinical advice and coordinates medical retrieval, 24 hours a day. It also supports country health clinicians and moves critically ill patients between specialist hospitals in the city.

• Care and transport for children from birth to 16 through MedSTAR Kids, a service for children, newborns and obstetric patients
• Medical response to mass casualty incidents and disasters
• Interstate transfers, including organ transplant recipients and children needing heart surgery

Aircraft

The page lists the transport options as emergency ambulances, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, commercial flights and commercial vehicles. For fixed-wing flights MedSTAR contracts the Royal Flying Doctor Service or a jet charter company. The page does not name a helicopter operator. MedSTAR works closely with the SA Ambulance Service Special Operations Team, which it describes as highly trained rescue paramedics.

Who it is for

MedSTAR serves patients across South Australia who need specialist retrieval, including people in rural and remote areas. Health workers request the service rather than members of the public.

Facts

• Type: government air medical coordinator and retrieval service, does not fly its own aircraft
• Parent: South Australian Ambulance Service
• Fixed-wing flights: contracted from the Royal Flying Doctor Service or a jet charter company, as stated on the site
• Includes a children and newborn retrieval service, MedSTAR Kids