Ambulance officers overwhelmed as 111 call volumes hit record highs
New Zealand ambulance services are handling record call volumes, with officers describing conditions worse than the Covid-19 pandemic.
Emergency ambulance call volumes have hit record highs this winter, breaking the record three times in a single week. An ambulance officer describes the strain on the service, including long waits at hospitals where patients remain on stretchers in corridors for hours, staffing shortages that leave vehicles unmanned, and the challenge of distinguishing genuine emergencies from health anxiety-driven calls. The officer attributes the surge partly to difficulty accessing primary care and suggests the core issue lies with hospital capacity and government health funding decisions rather than ambulance service operations.
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‘Worse than Covid’: An ambulance officer’s daily reality as 111 calls hit record highs
After a record number of calls to emergency services last week, one ambulance officer talks about the realities of their job. As told to Tara Ward. This winter’s been particularly bad. The call volume breaking a record three times in…