An NHS ambulance shortage led to a helicopter airlift to hospital for a man suffering severe chest pains on a Pembrokeshire beach yesterday, Tuesday August 9.
RNLI lifeguards on Tenby’s South Beach, Tenby inshore lifeboat crew, members of Tenby Coastguard Rescue Team, an off-duty GP and a nurse all helped to care for the man when he was taken ill at around 5pm.
Tenby RNLI press officer and crew member Ben James said: “With the Welsh Ambulance Service extremely busy with no ambulances available and the casualty needing to get to hospital quickly, Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 187 from St Athan was tasked and was soon overhead.
“Members of the lifeboat crew, lifeguards and coastguards then assisted the paramedic in immobilising the casualty and carrying him to the awaiting aircraft, before he was flown to hospital for treatment.”
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The lifeboat returned to station, arriving at 6pm, but was back on the water at 7.50pm for the second shout of the evening.
The launch came after the coastguard received a report that several paddle boarders were possibly in difficulty towards the Giltar end of the South beach.
The lifeboat was quickly on the water, with the volunteer crew soon spotting the paddleboarders.
The paddleboarders confirmed that they were in no danger and were happy to continue.
The lifeboat was stood down and returned to station, arriving at 8.20pm.
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