St John wants all its ambulances crewed by two people, a statement from regional operations manager Grant Pennycook says. He was responding to the concerns of Prehospital Care Union president John Stretton in yesterday's Chronicle.
"We are sympathetic to union concerns over crewing. As an organisation we have been advocates
for crewing all emergency ambulances with two ambulance officers ? this has been a clearly stated, organisational position for a long period of time," he said.
Ongoing work with funders the Health Ministry and ACC had had significant results and St John was continuing to work with them.
The negotiations had resulted in the placement of 70 additional ambulance officers across New Zealand over the past three years. These additional staff were placed into areas of identified need.
Within Central Region, additional Ministry of Health funding allowed the employment of 11 additional ambulance officers in 2004-05.
In 2005-06, extra funding from the same source has been received for three additional officers.
Two of these would be working in Wanganui and recruitment was in progress.
Mr Pennycook said there was no single solution to achieving the crewing of every vehicle on every shift with two ambulance officers.
"That will always require a mixture of paid and volunteer personnel, additional funding from the ministry, proceeds from St John commercial activities, fund raising and public donations."
He disputed the claim that Wanganui region ambulances were more likely to be single crewed than those in most of the rest of New Zealand. So far in 2006 an average of 81 per cent of all priority one and medical responses in Wanganui were responded to by double crewed ambulances, he said.
Mr Pennycook was also concerned to read in the Chronicle about confusion around ambulance provision during Whanganui District Health Board's current staff shortages in paediatrics and obstetrics.
Right from the start of the shortages the board had paid for an extra ambulance to be crewed and on standby at Wanganui Hospital 24/7, ready to transfer patients.
This was in addition to the one or two ambulances St John had on duty at all times.
"It is important to understand that although this specific and dedicated vehicle is the subject of a contract with the Whanganui District Health Board, St John's contract to provide emergency ambulance services resides with the Ministry of Health ? not with individual health boards."
