Northumberland RNLI and Coastguard teams help elderly man on Holy Island

The UK Coastguard requested the launch of Seahouses All Weather Lifeboat at 9.13pm on Friday, December 30, after a request for assistance from the North East Ambulance Service, to transport an ambulance crew to Holy Island for an ill elderly male.

This was their 42nd call out of 2022.

The Lifeboat launched and awaited arrival of the ambulance at Seahouses. and took the ambulance crew to Holy Island.

he RNLI have an agreed protocol with the North East Ambulance Service, for such situations.

With the paramedics aboard, the lifeboat made the best and safest speed to the Island, due to choppy sea conditions, which were quite rough with a strong gusting southwesterly wind.

On arrival at Holy Island at 10.25pm, the Holy Island Coastguard Team met the lifeboat at the pier.

The team then transported the ambulance crew to the patient’s location. High tide at Holy Island was 8.31pm and the Causeway was closed to traffic from 6.35pm until 11.30pm.

An RNLI spokesperson said: “Once the patient had been assessed and stabilised, it was decided that it would be in the best interest of the patient, for the Coastguard Unit to travel to Holy Island by road, rather than a passage for the patient on the Lifeboat back to Seahouses.

“The tide was dropping, so Holy Island Coastguard Team could cross the Causeway and collect the ambulance crew and their patient, to transport them back to their ambulance at Seahouses Harbour by road.

“The Seahouses Lifeboat was released and returned to station at 11.20pm.”