St Mary’s Hospital has started transferring COVID patients to mainland hospitals as the pressure continues to mount on the Island’s NHS, with 69 Islanders admitted to hospital in the past 7 days.
Island Echo understands 2 COVID-positive Islanders were airlifted to Southampton General Hospital at the weekend. The critical care patients were both transferred by helicopter on Sunday afternoon.
The first transfer took place at around 14:15 with the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance called in to facilitate the transfer, thought to be the first COVID patient transfer of the pandemic. The Augusta Westland AW169, which spent around 2 hours on the helipad, is much bigger than the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance giving medical staff greater space inside the helicopter.
The second transfer took place at around 18:30 with the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Lee-on-Solent called upon to airlift the second critically ill patient from the helipad at St Mary’s.
Despite conducting a training exercise with the military and having well-publicised plans in place for COVID-safe transfers from Seaclose Park, on this occasion Chinook helicopters were not utilised. It is currently unclear as to why.
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust has refused to comment on whether COVID patients are now being transferred off Island, even though their very own Medical Director, Dr Stephen Parker, was called in to work on Sunday to ‘facilitate [the] transfer of COVID positive patients off Island’.
A spokesperson for Isle of Wight NHS Trust said:
“We have tried and tested processes in place for transferring patients to mainland hospitals, these transfers happen regularly and are part of our business as usual being a small hospital on an island.”
Island Echo asked the NHS Trust to confirm how many COVID patients had been transferred to the mainland, why the decision was taken and why the Military were not called upon as per previous training for such scenarios.
In the last 7 days a total of 69 people have been admitted to hospital, according to latest Government figures. It is not known how many are on ventilators currently but as of 12th January this number was 11.
How are relatives supposed to visit if being taken to the mainland?
I don’t think covid patients are allowed visitors when in hospital..
But I think just one hospital for a population of 142.000 residents is disgraceful, and with the massive population boom on the arizon it’s going to get a lot worse…
Especially when we used to have five !
There Not No Visitors are allowed
IF it were you near death, I expect you would rather have a fully trained medical team, with the latest equipment, rather than having no room here, and just a weeping crowd, with an ironic get well soon card propped up against a bottle of unopened Luccozade.
This is not an ingrown toe nail op, this is serious so don’t be so selfish.
I expect a lot of young lads in the war, dying slowly on a foreign battle field wished to God to be with their Mum’s and Dad’s, at least these people are in the UK and are getting help.
And still there are so many idiots not taking this pandemic seriously. The island was lucky up until now, it only seems to get real for some people when its right on their doorstep.
I agree Tim. Just heard that a colleague From work has just tested positive. And he was one of those saying ” this pandemic is all a load of rubbish” and if you believe this conspiracy, your a muppet.
Mmmm be careful what you say. It could come back to haunt you.
Yet this c ouncil wish to build a massive amount of houses here, yet not insist the greedy developers fund by law another Hospital and several doctors to be able to cope with future issues here.
Perhaps it is because they are afraid it may come from ‘their’ portion?
All we do know is these greedy self serving parasites, care nothing for us, or infrastructure of the Island coping in the future. But when they have private health care, private education for their children, and live miles away from the destruction, WHY would they.
Vote them out.
The Council should build another Hospital on the Island
Not more houses.
Would create more jobs for the future.
THIS COUNCIL IS CLUELESS
GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT! The council are not responsible for building new hospitals you moron.
You looking in the mirror again, the only moron is yourself!
No, but they could be much more robust in refusing to build more houses
No, sir, they are not responsible for building hospitals. However they are historically mostly responsible for shutting hospitals down. If you are indeed a Caulkhead check your ‘recommendations to Parliament from local government’ data lists. Then tell me our governers are not morons. The alternative is they are crooks and that can’t possibly be…
Bloody good idea – why haven’t ‘the powers that be’ thought of that.
The council is not responsible for new hospitals, central government are. They are approved and funded from Westminster. Pity you don’t get your facts right before posting more garbage.
As you know, sister, we had several hospitals. All well run and needed…. Ah, the irony! Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. Still the second homers, tourists, and North Face jackets with embarresed and ashamed, globally aware, children (poor sods) come… The very interlopers who shut our hospitals because they cost money and their vision for the Isle of Retirement didn’t fit in with the holiday Island where people work are the ones seeking sanctuary and causing half the mess. Mark my words: if the plague had started here the visitors would be screaming for the Government to let the Navy and Army shoot us on sight. Nobody would leave Vectis for ten years, and at least London and the Home Counties would be safe. Amen, sister.
I repeat! Hospitals are neither approved, funded,or indeed closed down by the local council. The decisions are made by the NHS and CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. Are you too thick to understand that?
What you got against north west jackets
North face jackets
No problem uk gov mowing down iow morons just what’s your problem fe weatherproofs
where’s MP Bob now, he said at the end of last week we where nowhere near the stage
Having a Barbecue in Seaview
This is awful for the families of these patients , imagine your loved one being taken miles away when they are so ill.
Seriously ill patients need medical care, not a weeping crowd and a few grapes and flowers.
Be less selfish and more grateful.
Not sure which part of my comment indicates that l am being selfish or ungrateful.
I trust Mark means we should be grateful that the victim is being flown to be treated, rather than be in some makeshift ward, which may not have the same facilities to hopefully save them.
Whilst hard for the family, less so than having them near, but watching them gasp and struggle for air because they never had the machines needed here.
An emotive time for many of us so don’t take it badly, just this is about the patient, and the distress of the family will be worth it, IF the patient returns home, whereas if staying here may well never see the family ever again.
I thought that the army fitted out buildings for use if needed ,does anyone know if these are full or is it that there are no staff to run them.
It consisted of old prison beds from Camphill which were painted by the army and set up in a previous non clinical part of the hospital with no inferstucture for patient care simply old beds totally unsuitable for ill patients.
If those start being used things have got very very bad, patients are being moved to a well equipped hospital that thankfully has some capacity still. The repurposed buildings are for when all hospital beds are overwhelmed
There are also the temporary morgues which were installed in the spring during lockdown.
Articulated lorries brought them in, unhooked and they were setup. Assume with power from St Marys.
As I have suggested before, the prison would make an ideal isolation hospital. Just rid us of the present incumbents, they will never be missed.
Another building that be put to good use – County Hall. All mod cons already installed. Lot of dead wood needs moving first.
Dosen’t help when people go into chemists with Covid symptoms asking what they should do.
Why do Islands always have a high percentage of morons.
they want 2 mps for the island what about 2 hospitals instead
With an ever growing Island population and endless new builds on the horizon, surely a bigger hospital should now be a prime consideration with better healthcare facilities? Should we really have to airlift the critically ill?
The nhs has 17,000 less beds now then 2012! You work it out!
There is no chance of a second hospital being built as we are having trouble staffing
the existing one. Who in there right mind would move to the Isle of Wight for work.
Indeed move to the Isle of Wight for anything considering…
One of the highest council tax rates
Need to pay to park most anywhere on the Island which makes visiting independent shops or simply going for a walk (even in winter!) another unneeded, added expense.
The Island used to be a fine place to live. However the expense and restrictions imposed by this and prior Tory councils create a life on the Isle of Wight which is continually being lowered and lowered.
What happened to Camp Hill that got renovated early 2020, so if we were to run short of space in the hospital ?
The reason why RAF Chinooks were not used is the cost of these heavy lift helicopters – when moving just one patient at a time, the smaller helicopters made much more sense.