Haydn Miller launched after islander suffers suspected dislocated hip on Caldey.
Tenby’s RNLI all-weather lifeboat was tasked shortly before 1pm on Sunday 10th May, to assist in the medevac of a patient with a suspected dislocated hip from Caldey Island.
The lifeboat was soon on the water, with three members of Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team aboard for assistance in carrying the casualty and setting up a helicopter landing site, should one be required.
Once on Caldey, several members of the lifeboat crew, along with the Coastguard, were ferried ashore in the inshore lifeboat, due to insufficient water alongside the jetty.
The team then headed up to where the casualty was situated, where he was assessed by a lifeboat crew member, who also happens to be a Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust First Responder. Due to the nature of the injury, and the lack of water to get the casualty onto the lifeboat, it was decided to request Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 187 to airlift the casualty to hospital.
As the helicopter was arriving overhead, Paramedics from a land ambulance were also arriving at Caldey by lifeboat and provided extra pain relief to the patient ready for the flight. He was then immobilised and taken the short distance up to the landing site at the lighthouse, before being flown to Withybush hospital.
Once the casualty was in the air, everyone headed back down to the inshore lifeboat which was waiting on the beach to ferry them back out to the Haydn Miller, before heading back to Tenby, arriving at 4.20pm.
A great example of a multi-agency rescue.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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