Sick on holiday – what are the options for getting home?

Finding yourself in hospital in a foreign country can turn a dream holiday into a waking nightmare, or turn a business trip into a personal crisis. Being sick on holiday is the last thing anyone would want, and when the worst happens most people want to get home as soon as it’s safe to do so.

In this article our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Lee Collier, takes you through the options available to get a transfer back to the UK (or your home country) and admission to a hospital or back to the comfort of your own home.

Air Ambulance

An air ambulance would probably be the first thought for anyone needing a long distance transfer. A helicopter is great for getting to hospital quickly from the outskirts of a city, but helicopters can’t usually go overseas and aren’t very quick either for longer distances. A fixed-wing air ambulance like a small private propellor or jet aircraft flies higher and faster, and is the quickest and safest way to get home. At SkyCare Repatriation we can arrange a flight in our Pilatus PC-12, a state of the art fixed-wing air ambulance with intensive care medical teams that can look after adults, children or babies.

The main disadvantage of an air ambulance is cost because you are chartering a private flight and paying for the medical team to accompany the patient. But these disadvantages are the main advantages too: using a private aircraft means the medical team are totally in control of the schedule, where and when the aircraft lands, and can make changes to the flight if there’s a change in the patient’s medical condition. Our aircraft is a mobile intensive care unit equipped with all the latest equipment, and although it’s impossible to replicate all of the facilities available in a hospital, with right medical team this is as close as you can get.

Find out more about our Air Ambulance Service here

Commercial Medical Escort (CME)

A Commercial Medical Escort flight is carried out on a normal commercial carrier such as EasyJet or British Airways, with a medical team booking seats along with the patient. A CME flight is usually cheaper than an air ambulance, and for very long distances it may be the only viable option. The main disadvantages are the same as for any normal flight: the airline may cancel or delay flights, and the medical crew can’t ask for any changes to the flight other than a life-or-death situation.

The type of medical care available for a Commercial Medical Escort is more limited and depends a lot on what the airline will allow – there is an approval process with each airline having its own rules. Careful consideration has to be made about getting on and off the aircraft which depends on the route and airline used. It is possible to arrange CME flights with a stretcher for patients who are struggling to walk. At SkyCare Repatriation we send experienced nurses, doctors and paramedics to accompany patients and we will work with the airline and our specialist travel agent to find the best option for you.

Find out more about about our Commercial Medical Escort Service here

Long Distance Road

One option for getting home is simply to drive! At SkyCare Repatriation we work with our sister company BM Ambulance Service with experience of driving patients home from all over Europe. This is often a cost-effective solution, with the only real drawback being the length of the drive. We will send a High Dependency ambulance equipped with high-tech patient monitoring and an experienced crew to look after the patient on the journey home. We will plan the best possible route with rest stops along the way.

Find out more about our Long Distance Road Service here

Making Your Choice

You will be presented with a choice of many companies wanting to help and win your business. Some questions you might want to ask are:

• who is carrying out the transfer and what are their qualifications?
• what medical equipment and medicines will be available?
• will the medical team speak English?
• is the company going to carry out the transfer, or are they an agent who will be handing over to another company?
• does the company have links with UK hospitals (or hospitals in your home country) to ensure an admission is arranged?
• what backup is in place if things go wrong?

At SkyCare Repatriation we have many years’ experience arranging and carrying out long-distance patient transfers. We are always ready to help, so please pick up the phone or send us a WhatsApp message to get in touch.

Get in touch with us here