Acute Patient Transfer Coordination

Interhospital patient transfers are common practice for us, with thousands of critically ill country Western Australians being transferred via road and air each year.

The transfer of a patient takes good preparation, planning and communication to ensure optimal continuation of care for country patients.

WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has established a centralised coordination service stream within the Command Centre in collaboration with Royal Flying Doctor Service and St John Ambulance to provide front-line country clinicians with advice and support in transferring their patients to an appropriate level of care. 

Always remember to call 000 in case of an emergency.

WACHS Link

The WACHS Link service is for any patient requiring general inpatient hospital care closer to their home across country WA.

As a centralised point for communication and coordination, the team supports patients requiring transfer from a metropolitan site, including all tertiary, general and private hospitals to any of our country health sites.

This includes assisting metropolitan hospitals in the initial stages of securing a bed at a WA Country Health Service site in a coordinated, safe, and timely way for an appropriate patient transfer. 

The service also provides advice on transport planning across the state, identification of any barriers for transfer, coordinate any complex patient care processes. As well as advice related to inter-hospital transfer requirements or local discharge services for patient care needs.

For more information on sick newborns and young infants needing expert neonatal care, visit the Newborn Emergency Transport Service.

Patient Assisted Travel Scheme (PATS)

PATS provides financial assistance for eligible country WA residents to access their nearest medical specialist service not available locally. The intent of the scheme is to provide equitable access to specialist medical services for WA country residents.

Learn more about PATS here.