Using Brecqhou helicopter would not have saved Sark resident, says ambulance chief

CLAIMS that Sark's refusal to use the Brecqhou helicopter contributed to the death of a resident have been dismissed by Guernsey's chief ambulance officer.

Jon Beausire (pictured) confirmed that deciding how to transport patients in need of emergency medical care was up to ambulance officers, based on the advice of the Sark doctor or other healthcare professionals.

'The service has procedures in place to access other forms of transport including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, and each year we coordinate approximately 300 transfers by air and 60 by sea, to and from Guernsey,' he said. 'Helicopters are considered as part of our response procedures.'

The Sark Newsletter had claimed that resident Mark Lanyon, who died from a heart attack in April, could have survived if the Sark authorities had allowed the use of the Brecqhou helicopter.

But Mr Beausire said medical transfer was not all about speed.

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