Chinook helicopters may need to be used to evacuate COVID-19 patients from St Mary’s Hospital to other hospitals around the country amid soaring cases and hospitalisations, NHS bosses are warning.
Speaking to The Guardian about the situation, Stephen Parker, Medical Director of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said that he has been planning ‘unthinkable options’ following a four-fold increase in COVID patients being treated at St Mary’s since Christmas.
At the start of the pandemic, a training exercise was carried out at Seaclose Park in Newport which saw the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service come together with the Military to practice a patient transfer. Now it is a possibility that within days transfers could take place for real.
Mr Parker told The Guardian:
“These are unprecedented times for the NHS and they are unprecedented times for the island. I think it really is important to realise that we are one of the smallest hospitals in the country; we are challenged about moving patients and we could be overwhelmed.
“If the NHS is going to be overwhelmed, it is going to be the next two to four weeks. And that’s why it is so scary having gone from what was a relatively stable position in the autumn”.
Why Seaclose Park?
For many years, Seaclose was the main helicopter landing site for St Mary’s Hospital until a dedicated helipad was built at the hospital site, so procedures are well-established. The landing site is fairly close to the hospital with good access.
The last time that a Chinook landed at Seaclose Park was in February 2014 when Undercliff Drive was evacuated – and of course the exercise in April 2020.
Best hurry, before our wonderfully greedy co uncil aided and abetted by their symbiotic dev elopers build over the site.
Awful that such is likely now needed.
Well said,exactly what i thought.
‘In England such concepts as justice, liberty and objective truth are still believed in. They may be illusions, but they are very powerful illusions.’
Seriously, you’re using a story like this to get a cheap shot in. You should be ashamed. People are dying. I agree that they are building too much. But please have some self respect and pick your time and place.
It is a helicopter, doing a test run, not as yet picking up the seriously ill which, if so, may have been slightly insensitive. Cindy is correct to say what she did, when she did.
People are dying and all you can do is put in a cheap shot. Absolute shame on you!
With the islands population about to expload with the pland building projects, and only one hospital, I think it’s going to become a regular thing.
Great, so now when someone is seriously ill it is just fine to separate them from their loved ones as, apparently, this will speed their recovery, not to mention the mental effect to them and their relatives. And all because our brilliant ‘leaders’ cannot see further than half way down their officious noses and got an emergency law in place to protect us.
Of course there is the building on the other side of the road with ideal isolation rooms (currently called cells) with all mod cons installed. Send the present occupants, in helicopters if so required, to the mainland (prisons), have a quick clean up, remove the door locks, and you have an isolation hospital ready to go. Oh sorry, can’t do that. Too obvious and too easy.
Fed up, great idea, BUT as the iw c ouncil can’t take any ‘thank you’ cards so easily from Government contracts, which it would be if they transformed the Prison into a better hospital, then, IF nothing in it for the greedy lot in charge, then nothing will happen.
Hence small developments are turned down by them if ‘no thank you’ card can be afforded, on environmental grounds, yet huge sprawls, damaging ecology forever get the ‘go ahead’ as well thanked by landowner/developers.
SEE it as it is, NOT how you are told it is.
Such a shame people will probably never see their loved ones again.
This is a shocking way to treat people!
What choice do they have if the hospital is overrun? See my other comment. This should not have been allowed to happen.
You know covid is not an automatic death sentence, calm down
Only a 50/50 chance of ever leaving hospital IF you go in with CV thus far.
So hardly a reason to be ‘calm’ if it were one of your family. Equal chance of never seeing them alive again, hardly comforting
If our council and mp and police had any backbone we wouldn’t be in this awful situation. They could’ve stopped the influx of visitors and kept us safe. We were in tier one before they all descended on us then the council leader has the nerve to blame us for not following rules! He needs to go.I believe most people living on the island knew where we were heading as we only have one small hospital but seems our so called leaders are blind to what’s right in front of them.
This is horrific for Island families, but I’d be interested to know if they are Islanders or are some of those who decided to have a holiday and are being transferred nearer home. What ever happens Dave Stewart and co have a lot to answer for.
How true. I wrote to South today saying just that and my e mail was read out saying the ferries denied carrying none essential people over. The report said that visitors were not flooding the Island as I had stated. Rest my case all could and should have been stoped.
Wait till February half term, we’ll have the idiots coming over again.
Fake news! More people left the island to go shopping in the crowds in December in Pompey and Soton than came here.
You need to ask some Island lorry drivers, they’ll tell you how many people were coming over.
Not coming from Albania I hope
Worse, and far ‘easier’ to spot will be here in the new builds, watch schools fill up ‘then’.
Not really bothered where they came from , the selfish idiots shouldn’t have been here, only consolation is they didn’t get the tier 1 Christmas they were hoping for.
Dear Editor,
Chinook helicopters are operated by the Royal Air Force, not the Army.
Armed forces could have been a better description..
Well said = you beat me to it!
No need for helicopters if we have a fixed link.
That is very true.
No need at all for YOU, IF you move to the other side either. Still here? Thought so.
It’s very wrong, it would make a bad situation worse…
Here’s my take on where we are to where we were. Tier 1 beginning of December our clowns in charge said come here and enjoy the island thank you for that . Christmas wightlink,redfunnel,and the other ferries allow a mass influx on their ferries no checks etc Ty for that. Now we have an island the highest infection rate in the country not surprising really . Our population on the island is small compared to the rest of the UK. Officials blame the population for the spread and overwhelming of our NHS trust. Who is to blame really well my opinion and it is only my opinion is the higher powers have let the island down . The Isle of Wight council our MP Mr Seeley could of and should of pushed to have the island locked down essential travel only. The ferries should of been given the power to refuse travel too non island residents. There are ones on the island who don’t or will not comply with lockdown restrictions but then that’s the same across the whole of the country . Punish them and blame them do not pass the blame to the others . You at county hall you at Westminster you the profit greedy ferry companies are the ones to blame along with the people who thought the rules do not apply to them and this was a joke. Think of our NHS and the workers they are doing what they can without their dedication and the risks they run every day . Think of the police , ambulance crews , carers and all key workers. Help them to help by us complying with lockdown restrictions without them we would be in chaos . To all out there I hope that you all remain well and safe and hope that in the future when all this is over we can all lead a happy and safe life .
Well said
We are in this situation because you, the people, are spreading it!
If your loved one has covid then very little chance of getting to see them anyway.
Stop blaming the government for everything! They are not the ones making you go and see all your friends over the Christmas period. They are not the ones making you ignore the lock down rules and go shopping as a family. They are not the ones making you go to the local playground and making your children mix. They are not the ones making you pop round to your mates for a quick drink.
Tom i have covid and i never went out to see any friends. I went to work i never did anything over Christmas. i did not ignore the rule nor did i go shopping. All i did was go to work. I did not pop round to my mates all i did was go to work. Ho and i dont drink. So come on smart arse were did i go wrong?
Tom you really should not have gone to work knowing you have Covid. That is completely irresponsible and if you do not know where you went wrong there is no help for you.
‘off to work’ you really should not have gone to work knowing you have Covid. That is completely irresponsible and if you do not know where you went wrong there is no help for you.
Fool
Fool
Cynical Cathy, it was “off to work” who said he was going to work. Not me.
I know – I tried to edit it but it was such hard work that I gave up and left it when I realised I had the whole of my life left in front of me…
Twat .
Very valuable input into the discussion.
Anyone with covid should be incinerated alive!!!!
Why???
Because I hate the human race,especially people from the isle of wight!!!
What happened to the building that the army fitted out to help cope with the covid patients? is it already full?
Exactly! Are they using it?
It’s been empty from day one, never been used not once.
I was at the hospital yesterday and laid law centre looked very quiet. nothing seemed to be happening there.
Although developing the empty prison into another wing of St Mary’s sounds good.. but it would be even better if could have another hospital that is NOT near or in NEWPORT…
How about the empty one that is still sat doing nothing in Ryde?
Shhhh.. the BBC will get rejected EastEnders actors to make it seem like they are full.