Queensland Rail is trialling on-call medics at four inner-Brisbane train stations to provide timely assistance in the event of medical incidents.
Medics have been posted at Roma Street, Central, Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills stations for a three-month trial.
Transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey said with more than 53 million customer movements through South East Queensland’s stations each year, illnesses, medical conditions and slip, trip and or fall injuries are seen often.
“In 2017, Queensland Rail recorded 400 medical incidents at its South East Queensland train stations,” Bailey said.
“At the CBD stations alone, medical incidents over this period resulted in approximately 1500 minutes in delays while staff organised medical assistance for the customer involved.”
Queensland Rail contracted medical services to its inner-city, Beenleigh and Gold Coast line stations over a 12-day period during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
“This exercise proved extremely beneficial during the major event, with a number of medical incidents able to be addressed within three minutes,” Bailey said.
“Queensland Rail has since identified stations that have been most impacted by medical incidents in the past year and will now initially trial having medical staff on-call during the morning peak at Roma Street, Central, Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills stations.”
Medics may be moved to other stations over the course of the trial to assess the concept at those locations.
“If a medical incident occurs, station-based medics will be able to safely and quickly provide first aid and assist Queensland Ambulance Service and other emergency services when they arrive, streamlining the handover process,” Bailey added.
“This will complement Queensland Rail’s existing first aid protocols.”
Queensland Rail said medical staff would be fully trained and familiarised with the rail environment.