Royal Flying Doctor Service the nation’s most trusted charity

Fresh from its vaccination crusade across the North West, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has been named as Australia’s most trusted charity.

The recently released annual Australian Charity Reputation Index recorded a survey score of 98.1 for the organisation.

The organisation’s federation executive director said a patient’s trust in their medical services is vital – particularly if they are living in locations that don’t have easy access to the services enjoyed in our cities.

“That we have earned this trust, in the provision of vital, emergency medical and primary health care services to rural and remote Australia, gives our 2100 staff great pride,” he said.

The nation’s trust in the service follows its mammoth vaccination undertaking in regional areas, including Narrabri Shire.

RFDS nurses became a common sight in Narrabri, Wee Waa, Pilliga and beyond last year as rural residents were encouraged to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated against COVID.

The vaccine roll-out program the RFDS delivered was a unique mission in its long history of serving the nation.

This mission took the service’s health professionals to new heights and cemented their ‘rockstar status’ in the regions.

“They’re superheroes, the frontline workers,” said Wee Waa Local Aboriginal Land Council chair Clifford Toomey at one of the town’s vaccination clinics last year.

Working in far-flung locations with limited resources wasn’t a new concept for the RFDS, but setting up walk-in Pfizer clinics day-after-day in unfamiliar locations during a global pandemic was certainly an experience for the record books.

“This is definitely all new to me,” said RFDS lead nurse Alice Sack who was running vaccination clinics in west and north-west country NSW with the assistance of local health workers and volunteer groups.

“I’ve never done anything like this before or been to most of these locations, but I’ve found it quite easy to adapt to any situation I come across.”

Ms Sack said one of the highlights of being involved in the vaccination roll-out program was helping those most vulnerable, including members of the indigenous community.

Watching people such as the chair of the Wee Waa Local Aboriginal Land Council Clifford Toomey decide to get a vaccination after initially being unsure is a memory that will stay with Alice.

“He just rolled up his sleeve and was very stoked to be getting it because he saw how easy it was,” said Alice.

“It really was empowering, then all it takes is one person to step forward, and then they talk to someone else or they have a yarn with their family and bring others in too.

“Cliffy brought his son in and introduced me to his son, which was really nice.

“It just goes to show it really brings the community together.

“Especially in Wee Waa, we did a high number of the indigenous population who were coming out to get vaccinated, which was really good.”

In Narrabri, the RFDS’ status was equally as celebrity-like thanks to the extraordinary efforts that went into running mass vaccination clinics at The Crossing Theatre.

The RFDS was joined in this venture with Narrabri Shire Council, the Rotary Club of Narrabri, NSW Health and local emergency services.

A two-day clinic in early September saw 1236 doses administered in Narrabri. Wee Waa saw 317 vaccinations administered.

The efforts of the RFDS were highly praised by civic leaders, including Narrabri Shire Council mayor Ron Campbell.

“I’d like to sincerely thank the Royal Flying Doctor Service for providing our community with this mass vaccination opportunity,” Cr Campbell said following the success of the shire-wide clinics.