AMBULANCE LATE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3252, 14 April 1943, Page 5

AMBULANCE LATE

INCONVENIENCE CAUSED

COMPLAINT TO BOARD

THAMES HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

Complaining that serious inconvenience had been caused ’through the difficulty in contacting the ambulance drivers at the Thames Hospital, the medical superintendent, Dr. E. Gifford, wrote to Tuesday’s meeting of the Thames Hospital Board recommending that each of the drivers have 'a telephone installed in their residences.

The medical superintendent wrote as under: —

“On account of difficulties in communicating with the engineer and with the ambulance driver at night in cases of emergency, it has become necessary for me to recommend the installation of a telephone in each of these residences. On several occasions very serious inconvenience has been caused through delay and difficulty in conveying messages to these officers. If arrangements could be made for a second ambulance driver who is already on the telephone to be available so as to give Jeffs adequate time off call then the telephone to his residence might not be necessary. People Left On Road

The secretary, Mr A. L. Neighbour, stated that the ambulance driver lived on the premises while the engineer was no more than 109 yards away. The chairman, Mr ’P. E. Brenan, said that all that was needed was proper organisation. Mr C. W. Winder quoted an instance of an accident near Thames last Saturday in which it took a considerable time to secure an ambulance. The injured people had to lie on the road for quite a period on Saturday, almost one and a-half hours, before the ambulance arrived.

The secretary explained that the delay on Saturday had resulted because a member of the staff had nou delivered correctly the message calling for the ambulance. After the arrangements had been fully discussed it was agreed that the arrangements were adequate, it being unfortunate that the nurse fell down' on her job.

The chairman commented that the driver slept on the property and an interhouse phone would not be warranted.

It was agreed to instal a telephone in the engineer’s house.