Capabilities
Capabilities
Since establishment
Since establishment, the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre (NCCTRC) has significantly strengthened its ability to respond internationally and domestically to a range of disasters - natural, manmade or in combination.
The primary objective of the NCCTRC is to continue the development of the Northern Territory’s regional disaster response capability. The NCCTRC continues to enhance its capabilities as a northern hub of evidence based medical care, research and education, which is readily available to respond to major national health incidents.
Medical shelters
The NCCTRC has a substantial cache of equipment to ensure that Australia has the capacity and resources to respond when required to a medical emergency. This includes the OPEC Field System that has a 60-bed deployable air-conditioned field hospital.
Our deployable field hospitals and emergency shelters ensure a safe, clean environment where high-level health care can be given in any climate for extended periods of time.
The NCCTRC has a rapid response capability for deployment of highly trained medical teams directly to the scene of disasters in Northern Australian and South-East Asia, and a forward capacity for critically injured patients transferred from overseas back to Australia.
Specialised care cells
AUSMAT medical and nursing staff are capable of a variety of specialised services that can embed within host-nation facilities, be sent with an EMT1 or EMT2 team, or as additional staff with an EMT1 and EMT2. Typically, a specialised care cell would consist of 4 – 6 specialist health professionals (doctors, nurses or paramedics) and be deployable within six hours of notification.
AUSMAT specialist clinical capability includes:
- Outbreak investigation and response
- Radiology
- Basic field pathology and microbiology (laboratory capability)
- Environmental health assessment
- Maternal child health
- Highly infectious diseases
- Pre-hospital (paramedic) support
- Burns care
- Acute care (hospitals) support
Logistics
A vital part of an AUSMAT deployment is the logistician. The logistics officer is responsible for supporting the medical team in every aspect of the deployment. Planning and onsite operations, communication, transport, team safety and security, site management, maintenance, power, water and sanitation are just a few of the roles a logistics officer will oversee during deployment.
Logistics officers traditionally have a specialist trade and extensive experience in emergency management. Most commonly, logisticians are veteran fire fighters, able to adapt to any situation from conducting repairs to ensuring caches of equipment are fully stocked and ready for use.
In a rapid deployment situation, the logistics officer is the centre point of a self-sufficient mission. They are the first to arrive on location and the last to leave.
AUSMAT - EMT type 1
Forward assessment support team
Health support, site establishment and immediate emergency care
Primary and emergency care teams
The EMT 1 mobile is deployed into a variety of situations. Rostering is dependant on how far afield a mobile team is sent, and the cultural practices within the affected country. In some Pacific countries this will result in a day off on Sunday due to religious practices. In general the philosophy is that an EMT mobile team will work from dawn to dusk, with meal breaks as operational activity allows, and return to base camp at night. Daylight hours will include travel time.
AUSMAT - EMT type 2
Specialist care cells
Logistic and coordination support cells
EMT type 1 – fixed
AUSMAT primary and emergency care clinic
Team of 24 that provides a fully self-sufficient, static temporary primary and emergency care clinic (26 stretchers and 2 resuscitation tables).
- Deploy in under 12 hours from point of origin for a minimum period of 14 days.
- Primary, emergency and maternal child health outpatient care.
- Emergency resuscitation care (24 hours).
- Deploy with appropriate equipment and supplies with moderate cargo capacity.
- Adhere to the EMT guiding principles and core standards.
EMT type 2
AUSMAT emergency and surgical care field hospital
Team of 54 that provides a fully self-sufficient, static temporary emergency and surgical care field hospital (30 inpatient beds plus 28 stretchers)
- Deploy in under 24 hours from point of origin for a
minimum period of 21 days. - Primary, emergency and maternal child health outpatient care (daylight hours only).
- Emergency resuscitation care (24 hours).
- Emergency operative care (24 hours).
- Surgical, medical and maternal child health inpatient care (24 hours).
- Deploy with appropriate equipment and supplies with heavy cargo capacity.
- Adhere to the EMT guiding principles and core standards.
The field hospital has the capacity to provide treatment for up to 200 patients per day including surgical cases and 30 inpatients.
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