Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust has taken delivery of a ‘bespoke’ electric vehicle for transferring trauma patients from its Air Ambulance landing site on the sports field of an adjacent school to the Ipswich Hospital’s Emergency Department.
The vehicle, from mygolfbuggy.com based in Selston near Nottingham, is a bespoke stretcher carrier based on the chassis of an all-electric E-Z-GO TXT golf car, specially designed to transfer patients more quickly, and developed after a former Emergency Department employee recognised that the 400-metre transfer from the East Anglian Air Ambulance landing spot could be improved and made smoother for patients.
Rob Stanford, MD of the golf car’s UK and European distributor, Ransomes Jacobsen; said: “After fruitless conversations with a major car manufacturer, the staff member began looking on the Internet for golf buggy suppliers. mygolfbuggy.com topped the list, and a solution became apparent after we had a conversation with the hospital about its requirements.”
The ‘customised’ E-Z-GO TXT golf car incorporates a flatbed with padded mattress for the casualty, and a seat for the paramedic or doctor. Storage cabinets for medical equipment were also incorporated.
The project has been funded by the HELP (Hospital Emergency Landing Pad) charity, with contributions from mygolfbuggy.com and Ransomes Jacobsen.
