Helicopter Rescue Service in Trouble After Inquiry
ABC New England
Topic: Health Policy
Wed 5 Aug 2026 at 6:22pm
A helicopter rescue service is in trouble after an inquiry in New South Wales.
In short:
An inquiry found problems with a helicopter rescue service in northern New South Wales.
The inquiry said the service's contract should not be extended unless safety issues are fixed.
What's next?
The government has three months to respond to the inquiry's findings.
The ambulance service should not extend its contract with the helicopter rescue service unless it is safe.
The inquiry was started to look into a hospital, but it also found problems with the helicopter service.
The inquiry looked at how public and private services work together in healthcare.
The chair of the inquiry said many people reported a toxic work culture at the helicopter service.
The chair said the government should look at the service's contract now to prevent problems.
Nobody wants to be without a rescue service, so the government must act now.
If the contract is not extended, the government will have to find a new service, which takes time.
Amanda Cohn says the government should think about its next move now.
The inquiry found that the service used non-disclosure agreements to silence workers who reported problems.
Whistleblowers targeted
The inquiry report said former workers who reported problems were bullied by managers.
The bad work culture at the service had a big impact on workers, and some could not work again.
A rescue helicopter is seen in action at Minyon Falls.
The inquiry also heard about poor record-keeping and safety breaches at the service.
A whistleblower said the service did not take safety seriously and just followed rules on paper.
Ryan Park says contract talks will depend on the inquiry report.
The health minister said he wants a full report on the allegations against the service.
The minister said the ambulance service and the community expect a safe service.
The service has a contract with the ambulance service to provide aeromedical services.
The contract ends in May next year.
The minister said contract talks will depend on the report.
The minister will decide what to do with the contract after getting the report.
The minister expects a safe service, and that is what he will work for.
The ambulance service said it is waiting for the full report before talking about a new contract.
The helicopter service did not comment.
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