ARHT BK119 at Auckland Hospital

Auckland HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical System) is a joint venture between ADHB and ARHT (Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust) to add acute care doctors to the paramedic/crewman/pilot model that crews the Westpac Helicopter.

The aim of the initiative is to improve prehospital care in the Auckland region by combining the prehospital, aeromedical, and scene management expertise of paramedics with the advanced resuscitation skills (including use of additional equipment and medications) of senior doctors.

Auckland HEMS team in action, Sonowars competition

Service elements introduced since the inception of Auckland HEMS include RSI capability by the helicopter team, prehospital use of tranexamic acid in traumatic haemorrhage, and prehospital ultrasound capability (a Sonosite Nanomaxx is now carried in the helicopter), and plans are in progress to carry blood products into the prehospital setting.

In addition to pre-hospital care and training initiatives, Auckland HEMS also allows exploration, collaboration, and improvement of the interface between pre-hospital care and hospital care, and aids the introduction of pre-hospital and aviation concepts (for example checklists and active safety management systems) into the emergency department setting.

Led by Dr Chris Denny (Emergency Physician and HEMS Medical Director), Auckland HEMS doctors are senior registrars or consultants from Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia, or Intensive Care. At the inception of Auckland HEMS, only ADHB doctors were involved, but the service now includes doctors from Counties Manukau DHB and Waitemata DHB.

The Auckland HEMS website is located HERE.

Working with Auckland HEMS

The Auckland HEMS Initiative embraces the concept of a ‘learning organization.’ At present, we are keen to explore fellowships with motivated senior registrars in acute care medicine (anaesthesia, critical care, emergency medicine). Click HERE to contact Auckland HEMS.

We regret we are unable to offer undergraduate medical electives at this time. Thank you for your interest in Auckland HEMS.