Clutha Health First (CHF) chief executive Sharon Mason attended the public forum of the Clutha District Council meeting in Balclutha last week, to request its consideration of issues facing emergency medical staff using the Balclutha helipad.
Mrs Mason said she was appealing to the council on behalf of both her own staff at the hospital facility, and Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter emergency medical staff.
Long-standing issues existed relating to the transport of emergency patients by gurney from CHF to the helipad in Charlotte St, some 100m away.
"Although the pavement is, for the most part, reasonable for pushing a gurney, navigating the guttering required to cross the road and crossing the road itself are unnecessarily challenging.
"[They also] present a safety risk both to patients and staff during a critical period.
"We request that council consider improving this route on behalf of the wider community."
She said the route was used, on average, two to three times a month, and moving swiftly and safely was paramount for the best patient outcomes.
Helicopters Otago Ltd had indicated its preferred solution as a 2.5m smooth sealed strip across the road adjoining the helipad, eliminating kerbing for "top heavy" gurneys.
Work to address the angle of the kerbs would be a secondary solution.
Mrs Mason said automatic or controllable stop signals for traffic in Charlotte St were also desirable, from CHF’s perspective.
At present, additional CHF staff accompanied gurneys during emergencies to act as traffic control personnel, which was not ideal.
"It’s all about patient and staff safety at the end of the day."
She requested the council consider the request as part of its upcoming annual plan discussions.
During last week’s meeting, councillors indicated broad initial support for the appeal.
Council chief executive Steve Hill said staff would prepare a report on options for councillors to consider at their next meeting.
