The RFDS in NSW/ACT
So much has changed over the last 96 years as we have moved to meet the needs of outback Australians. But one thing that will never change is our commitment to always be there when we are needed.
Our South Eastern Section provides lifesaving outback emergency aeromedical retrievals and hospital transfers, as well as providing over 68,000 occasions of care through on the ground GP and nurse appointments, dental care, mental health care, alcohol and other drug counselling, vaccinations, chronic disease management and telehealth.
From our bases at Broken Hill and Dubbo our highly skilled doctors, nurses, dentists, mental health clinicians and other specialists fly or drive to remote communities to provide them afull suite of care. In many of these communities the RFDS is the only accessible provider of healthcare.
Your kindness can save children in the bush.
Renée and her husband got every parent’s nightmare call for help from their teenage son, Jobe, on New Year's Eve. Jobe was riding his motorbike back to the family holiday shack when a kangaroo knocked him off his bike and he struggled to breathe.
Jobe had ruptured his spleen. His injuries were life-threatening.
In the outback, danger is never far away. A childʼs accident can rapidly become a life or death situation. And when the worst happens, time is everything.
Without the support of generous people like you, Jobe wouldn’t have received the urgent care he desperately needed from our Emergency Retrieval team - and he may not have survived.
Please send a gift today to ensure we can be there for children and families in an emergency.
A special invitation to become a Critical Health Response Partner
For families in the bush, the nearest hospital is hundreds of kilometres away. So when accidents happen or when illness takes hold, we are their only hope.
But that hope isnʼt guaranteed. Without long-term investment, families in remote communities face a future where critical care is out of reach.
Without future-focused partners, who understand the importance of ensuring long-term healthcare is available to all Australians, we cannot meet the growing health needs of families in the bush.
You’re invited to be one of the first-ever Critical Health Response Partners and make a promise to families in the bush that they’ll never be left behind.
Thanks to our supporters, outback communities have received life-saving medical care over the last year.
Because of you, we could reach further and touch more lives. Your support has significantly impacted the provision of vital healthcare services where they are most needed.
With your help, we conducted 4,700 inter-hospital transfers of high acuity patients and emergency retrievals for individuals who needed urgent critical care. You helped conduct 3,787 face-to-face mental health consultations, providing essential support to people facing challenges. Your support provided 3,774 dental care visits at 666 clinics to treat and prevent oral health problems for families in remote outback communities.
Latest news stories
Inspiring future medics with the Rural Doctors Network
We have strong relationships with some of Australia’s leading rural healthcare not-for-profits, united in our efforts to stop location being a barrier to healthcare. This June, we collaborated with the Rural Doctors Network to inspire the next generation of medics.
NADA Awards: GROW Program takes home Excellence in Health Promotion
In June 2025, the Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA) 2025 Conference celebrated the sector’s leaders in their prestigious award ceremony. We are very proud to share that our Guiding Rural Outback Wellbeing (GROW) program won ‘Excellence in Health Promotion’.
Graphic:
Dubbo RFDS Base
Dubbo Base, established in 1999, offers a range health services as well as being a top tourism attraction in the area.
Dubbo is home to The Outback Oral Health
and Treatment (TOOTH) program, serving the remote communities of Collarenebri,
Bourke, Lightning Ridge and Goodooga.
Dubbo conducts inter-hospital transfers,
the coordination of flights for the Rural Aerial Health Service (RAHS), as well
as emergency retrievals.
Bankstown RFDS Base
The RFDS base at Bankstown began operations in July 1994.
Bankstown Base is the home of the Rural Aerial Health Service (RAHS) which the RFDS operates on behalf of NSW Health. While administration and coordination of RAHS flights takes place at the Dubbo Base, the majority of flights are made from Bankstown.
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
The RFDS provide the following services to the community:
- General Practioner
- Practice Nurse
- Mental Health
- Alcohol and Other Drug Counselling
- Dental
Graphic:
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
The RFDS provide the following services to the community:
General Practioner
Practice Nurse
Mental Health
Alcohol and Other Drug Counselling
Dental
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
The RFDS provide the following services to the community:
- RFDS PHN
- Doctor
- Dental
- MHAOD
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
The RFDS provide the following services to the community:
- PHN
- Doctor
- Dental,
- MHAOD.
- FWLHD site
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
The RFDS provide the following services to the community:
- General Practioner
- Practice Nurse
- Dental Health
- Alcohol and Other Drug Counselling
- Dental
We provide early intervention, prevention, health information and screening, as well as chronic disease management services. We also provide visiting specialist clinics with medical consultants including ear, nose and throat specialists, dermatologists, eye specialists and a specialist breast care nurse (with the McGrath Foundation) who supports patients from diagnosis, and throughout treatment.
The RFDS provide the following services to the community:
- PHN,
- Doctor,
- Dental,
- MHAOD.
- FWLHD site
