Changed
Changed
As Brisbane Airport celebrates 100 years of connecting Brisbane to the world, it’s also a chance to reflect on the trips that don’t make the holiday photo album.
Tucked just beyond the terminals is a small but mighty operation that’s helped thousands of Queenslanders access emergency care since 1995 – the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Brisbane Base.
Each year, on average, more than 3,500 landings from across Queensland are transferring patients through Brisbane Airport for specialist treatment and care, with crews flying day and night to make it happen.
With the construction of a new purpose-built Aeromedical precinct as part of the Future BNE transformation, Brisbane Airport’s long-standing partnership with the RFDS is about to enter a new chapter.
To help us tell this story, we spoke with Maree Cummins, a Nurse Practitioner who’s been with RFDS (Queensland Section) for more than 30 years and was part of the original crew when the Brisbane Base opened.
Before the Brisbane base opened in 1995, government-chartered aircraft were used to carry out medical retrievals when needed. “The Queensland Government used to charter aircraft and medical teams would go,” Maree recalls.
Maree had already been working with RFDS as a Nurse through Queensland Health. When RFDS Queensland began formally employing flight nurses in 1991, she was one of the first six hired. “Two of us are still here,” she says. “I think that’s a pretty good retention rate.”
When the Brisbane base opened in 1995, Maree moved back to her hometown to help establish the new operation. That same year, RFDS also opened a base in Rockhampton, marking a significant expansion in the organisation’s ability to serve regional Queensland.
The Brisbane base was officially opened with government dignitaries in attendance, and for the first time, Brisbane had a dedicated fixed wing aeromedical retrieval service operating around the clock.
“It was a big opportunity,” Maree says. “We had our own crews and aircraft permanently based here, not relying on chartered flights. It meant we could respond faster and be available 24/7.”
Initially, the Brisbane Base operated with one aircraft and one crew for day and one for night shift. Over the years, demand has grown, along with the size and scale of the team. Today, the base operates two aircraft with two flight crews during the day and one overnight, with aircraft from other bases – including Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Townsville and Charleville – regularly flying into Brisbane for patient transfers.
As the demand for aeromedical services has increased, so too has the complexity of the care being delivered. What was once a basic retrieval service has evolved into a highly coordinated operation.
“The technology has come a long way,” Maree says. “We can now start and continue specialist treatment during the flight before the patient even gets to hospital. Our aim is health equity for all – no matter where they live.”
The new Aeromedical precinct, currently under construction as part of Brisbane Airport’s Future BNE program, will provide a home for the RFDS, LifeFlight and Queensland Health’s Retrieval Services Queensland.
For Maree and her colleagues, the benefits are both practical and personal.
“We’ll have space to train, work and coordinate with the other services,” she says. “It’ll make a big difference.”
The 18,700m² facility will be located between Brisbane Airport’s two runways at the Airport North Precinct and will accommodate the RFDS, LifeFlight, Retrieval Services Queensland and Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group facilities. It will feature new patient transfer facilities, state-of-the-art hangars for fixed and rotary wing aircraft and administration areas.
While the base is located at Brisbane Airport, Maree is quick to point out that the impact stretches far beyond the city limits.
“We’re here for everyone in Queensland – it's not just restricted to people in rural and remote,” she says. “Even if you don’t live in a rural area, chances are you know someone who works, lives or travels to those areas. That’s who we’re here for.”
As Brisbane Airport marks a century, the RFDS Brisbane Base reflects nearly 30 years of healthcare milestones, with more to come.
“Brisbane Airport is a great community asset,” Maree says. “And the RFDS is providing the finest care to the furthest corner, for all Queenslanders.”