Minister rules on manning funding

Press, 23 March 1988, Page 3

Minister rules on manning funding

Funding for double crews on ambulances is trie responsibility of .hospital boards, the Minister of Health’ Mr Caygill,; has told the-Institute of Ambulance Officers. | A delegation from the institute met the Minister late last (week to discuss trie inadequate crewing of ambulances in the paid services, i i ! ( Ambulance officers want double manning — trie provision of two ;perrhanent registered officers for each ambulance, I ’ ; The president of the institute, Mr Murray Waite; said yesterday that clarification had i been sought from the Minister o(n who was responsible for funding double crews. ; “Mr Caygill confirmed that the responsibility for the provision of "efficient ambulance services remained with the hospital toards and area health toards," said ’Mr Waite. Legislation relating to Area Health Boards ’ contained specific reference to the provision of . “efficient ambulance ( services.” - ; j The Minister told; the institute that he' Would make it clear to- the boards when he met them in April that they were responsible, said Mr 'Waite. i | Double manning primarily affected the city seri’ces where paramedics were performing ’ advanced procedures either unassisted or with casual volunteer assistance, he said. ! | I "In : .many instances, single-manned ambulances are attending serious life-threatening emergencies ; and even basic fundamental care, such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, i itjannot be adequately ,' instituted," said Mr Waite. • I "New Zealand ambulance officers are among the most highly trained in the world yet • are still expected to work unassisted, not only in emergency situations but when Handling routine medical calls.’.’ ■ ' i '

’ Handling a ( stretcher patient was not a one-man jbb, he said. ( “The Anomaly is that it

would, hot. be acceptable to have part-time or (too Tew staff dealing with critical care patients in hospital, therefore it ; should not be acceptable on the roads or in homes’” The Institute' of Ambulance Officers, had been invited by Mr Caygill to present ' a proposal , for (minimum standards and manning guidelines, said Mr Waite. Trie Minister had told the i institute that' there was: no logical argument against; double manning and accepted the matter had to be resolved as soon as possible, he said. . ( "We'were very pleased with the Minister’s resolve to bring about a solution to the problem. He had a very clear understanding of the issue and of! the industrial pressure being faced by ambulance officers." The general manager of the’ St .John Ambulance Association in Christchurch, Mr Bernie Chatterton, said yesterday that there was. ( very limited double manning of ambulances in I Christchurch. Of the 10 ambulances used during the day, only two were double manned. Between 7 p.m. 'and 11 p.m.. only one pi the) five ambulances used , was double manned; and after Il p.m. only oneiotj the three ambulances had two crew members. I Money for the double manning in. Christchurch came from a trust -fund set up by . the Accident Compensation Corporation, said Mr Chattepton. Th.e chairman (of the Canterbury Hospital Board, Mr Tom • Grigg, said that if the board spent more money on the ambulance service; it would have to spend less on other services.: !! ; "We would like to be able to fund double manning- but it means we would have to take money; from some other services unless the Government; was prepared to give ds j extra money to meet tliese increases in ; our services.” government funding for the; Canterbury Hospital Board will be discussed at the:! board meeting! this morning, he said, i