Retrieval Services Queensland: Use by Hospital and Health Services

Directive number: QH-HSD-005

Effective date: 19 June 2026

Review date: 19 June 2029

Supersedes: Version 3

On this page:

Purpose

The purpose of this Health Service Directive is to ensure all Hospital and Health Service facilities with an inpatient capability:

  • use Retrieval Services Queensland (RSQ) for the clinical coordination of all aeromedical retrieval and transport when utilising providers with statewide contracts held by the Department of Health (the Department);
  • provide payment for the cost of aeromedical asset/s used for any public and private patient retrieval or transport clinically coordinated by RSQ under the Department’s statewide contracts and;
  • who are the receiving Hospital and Health Service, will accept the transferred patient for emergent treatment as determined by RSQ when an emergent or time critical transfer is required.

Scope

This Health Service Directive applies to all Hospital and Health Services and applies to the aeromedical transfer of public and private patients within Queensland, inclusive of Torres Strait Islands and northern New South Wales to Queensland facilities. Alternative funding and coordination arrangements are required for the interstate repatriation of patients, or the transfer of patients’ interstate for treatment that can be undertaken in Queensland.

Principles

  • Safety and consistency—retrieval services are coordinated and delivered with a focus on consistent quality patient care through standardised statewide procedures (including credentialing, education and training).
  • Equity—retrieval services are provided in a way to promote equitable patient access to emergency specialist care.
  • Efficiency—a user-pays arrangement for aeromedical ambulance retrieval and emergency interfacility patient transport, irrespective of mode (costs for RSQ clinical coordination and retrieval medical staff provided by RSQ is not covered by Hospital and Health Services).
  • Cohesive—whole of government service coordination, integration and governance in the delivery of aeromedical retrieval and emergency interfacility patient transport services across multiple providers and partners.

Outcomes

Hospital and Health Services shall:

  • use RSQ for the clinical coordination of all aeromedical (fixed and rotary wing) ambulance transport services from facilities with an inpatient capability, whether for retrieval or emergency interfacility transport, where stretcher and clinical interventions are required;
  • pay the fixed wing aeromedical costs of the transport of patient, once RSQ has accepted its referral and the asset is tasked;
  • accept a transferred patient for emergent treatment as determined by RSQ; and
  • follow agreed local advice and referral patterns for Primary Healthcare Clinics.

RSQ shall ensure:

  • single, statewide access to a consistent and integrated clinical coordination capability and delivery of statewide aeromedical retrieval and transport services;
  • sick and injured patients receive consistent, quality-governed, specialist led care during aeromedical retrieval and transport;
  • optimal responsiveness and effective and efficient utilisation of aeromedical clinical and aviation resources across the state, including disaster management and mass casualty responses;
  • the provision of an integrated statewide clinical governance system for patient aeromedical and emergency interfacility transport; and
  • the responsive and efficient aeromedical inter-hospital transfer of patients returning to referring hospitals (stepdown) in line with the Protocol for management of inter-hospital transfers (QH-HSDPTL-025-2)

Mandatory requirements

Hospital and Health Services must:

  • engage RSQ to clinically coordinate all:
    • patient aeromedical retrieval and aeromedical interfacility transports, where stretcher capability and active clinical management/interventions may be required;
    • emergency paediatric, neonatal and high risk obstetric road interfacility patient transfers requiring a retrieval team; and
  • adhere to statewide clinical and operational standards for road interfacility patient transport not coordinated by RSQ, but requiring a Hospital and Health Service clinical escort.

Compliance

Compliance with this directive will be determined via:

Hospital and Health Services are responsible for ensuring compliance with this directive.

The use of non RSQ aeromedical agreement providers by Hospital and Health Services is out of RSQ’s scope for compliance.

RSQ each year confirms all patient transfer requests are conducted and managed through the aeromedical agreements.

Human Rights

Human rights are not engaged by this directive. Human rights are not limited by the Health Service Directive.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander considerations

The impact this Health Service Directive will have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders has been specifically taken into consideration.

Implementation of the Health Service Directive supports equity to Hospital and Health Services including First Nations people.

  • Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011, Qld

Supporting documents

Business area contact

Retrieval Services Queensland.

Approval and implementation

Directive Custodian: Commissioner, Queensland Ambulance Service.

Approval by Chief Executive: Director-General, Queensland Health

Approval date: 19 June 2026

Issued under section 47 of the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011

Review

This Health Service Directive will be reviewed at least every three years.

Next review due by: 19 June 2029

Supersedes: Version 3

Version control

Version Date Prepared by Comments
1 1/07/2012 Office of the Chief Health Officer

New Health Service Directive

1.1 1/07/2013 Office of the Chief Health Officer

Minor updates incorporated resulting from
feedback from second round of Statewide consultation.

1.2 7/05/2014 Queensland Ambulance
Service

Minor updates incorporated resulting from feedback from third round of Statewide consultation.

1.3 3/09/2014 Office of the Chief Health Officer

Changes made to reflect central contract arrangements. Removal of mandatory reporting as is covered in Patient Safety
HSD.

2.0 12/12/2018 Office of the Chief Health Officer Minor updates resulting from review and statewide consultation.
3.0 22/07/2022 Deputy Director-General, Prevention Division Minor updates resulting from review and statewide consultation.
4.019/06/2026Retrieval Services Queensland, Queensland Ambulance ServiceThree-year cyclic review completed with minor updates incorporated, resulting from feedback of Statewide consultation. Addition of alternative funding and coordination arrangements for the interstate repatriation of patients or the transfer of patients interstate for treatment in Queensland.

PRINTED COPIES ARE UNCONTROLLED
OFFICIAL – PUBLIC

Last updated: 19 June 2026