Coastal Otago territory manager Doug Third yesterday confirmed an extra ambulance would support the Mosgiel, Dunedin and South Otago areas from December this year.
That meant six new ambulance officers would also be employed in Dunedin, he said.
The new ambulance comes after the service took possession of a new rapid response vehicle in June.
There has been a spate of southern ambulance delay stories emerging this year, including that of an elderly woman who waited an hour and a-half for an ambulance after falling in Green Island’s main street in March.
In April, the Otago Daily Times revealed that since 2019 more than 5000 southern people had had to wait more than an hour for an ambulance. That was taking an emotional toll on stretched ambulance crews.
There was hope this year’s Budget announcement that St John would receive $83 million over four years for road ambulance services would help alleviate the situation.
Mr Third confirmed the funding would be spent to provide additional frontline support, including the Dunedin, Mosgiel and South Otago service.
The ambulance would operate 18 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning more ambulances would be available in the Dunedin region to respond to incidents.
St John would also employ six new ambulance officers in Dunedin and was now working through the recruitment process, Mr Third said.
"We will have more to share closer to when the vehicle and new recruits begin service."
Mosgiel woman Pauline Latta, who delivered a 51,000-signature petition to Parliament in December calling for St John to be fully funded, said the extra resources were "fabulous" news for the region.
Another ambulance would be helpful and the coverage it would have would be "huge", she said.
But she hoped a bigger "handout" for St John was still to come, Ms Latta said.
"It is not to be underestimated that it will be helpful, but we have got a long way to go," she said.
St John
- A new St John ambulance will service Mosgiel, Dunedin and South Otago.
- It will operate 18 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Service will start in December, 2021.
- Six new ambulance officers will be employed in Dunedin.
- The ambulance and staff will be paid for using funding announced in the 2021 Budget.
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Comments
I reference ODT https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/hopes-rapid-response-unit.
If this is the same Ambulance, then it cannot transport any patients and therefore will not assist in transporting a patient. I note that it will cover 3 areas which again suggests its not an Ambulance at all. The new staff , as reported are employed to cover crewing of the Tango Unit.
St John please explain.
My understanding is you are correct. It is old news and was announced (as you quote) in the ODT over 6 weeks ago.
It will get quality care out to an incident, but there is no extra ambulance to transport. It will mean that current ambulances won't need to be crewed by 2 paramedics but by one and basic grade assistant.
Again this is timely that we need a nationalised ambulance service not a govt funded contract system - which St John undercuts to get the contract - then can't deliver.
It is over to the public. If Pauline Lattas petition stated a nationalised service, we would have one but she did not understand how the current system worked and didn't want to as she is a St John supporter.
The govt is waiting for the public to support a nationalised service.
Kia ora,
This new ambulance that will be introduced in December is a patient transporting ambulance, in addition to the Tango vehicle which has been on the road in Dunedin for some weeks now.
Thanks for clarification GG. StJ should have given ODT more info. So it will not be generally responding to Red or Purples but inter care transfers. I guess that could free up a front liner. Better than nothing but still no increase in emergency ambulances and reliance on the red ambulances will continue.
https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-christchurch/big-new-ambulances-add...
Kia ora,
Again, you are incorrect. The ambulance going into Mosgiel in December will be for emergency care. It is NOT a patient transfer service. It will most certainly be responding to red and purple incidents. Dunedin already has a patient transfer service for non-urgent trips between care facilities.
The info the StJ has provided to ODT is correct, you are simply reading too much into it.