All hands on deck ahead of busy summer on Rotto
A number of multi-agency training exercises simulated scenarios on land and the water.
As the weather heats up and we head into the festive period, many West Aussies are making their way over to Rottnest Island for the summer holiday break.
For the team at the Rottnest Island Nursing Post (RINP), it’s all hands on deck as they prepare for the influx of visitors.
RINP Clinical Nurse Manager, Fiona Chisholm, said the team recently conducted their final training session for the year with Rottnest Express and other island agencies.
“We held a number of multi-agency training exercises over the course of the day that simulated different scenarios both on land and on the water,” Fiona said.
“A lot of what the team responds to is retrievals where we try and get the patients off the island as safely as possible - either from the water or the beach.
“So for this type of training we worked with the crew from the Royal Flying Doctor Service to manage safe evacuation processes along with staff from the Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) Hyperbaric Unit and personnel from the West Australian Navy to coordinate treatment of traumatic injuries and dive emergencies.
“We also worked with the FSH Emergency Department consultants to take part in scenarios based in the Rottnest accommodation units to review different types of responses for incidents like lithium burns or unconscious diabetic patients.”
Alongside staff training, equipment for the RINP has also been upgraded in preparation for the summer surge where it’s anticipated the island will welcome in excess of 5,000 visitors each day.
On the water it’s just as busy, with 800 moorings filled with boats increasing the number of marine injuries and retrievals. To help keep staff and patients safe, life jackets have been upgraded to ensure the team continue to strive for best practice in a unique and challenging environment.
“That can range from supporting palliative patients on their emotional last holiday or managing major head injuries following a bike accident to advice regarding the treatment of marine stings – it’s all in a day’s work at Rotto!”
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