Home > Archives > May 27th 2019 Issue > Petitioners say having paid ambulance teams will eliminate dangerous wait times
MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Petitioners say having paid ambulance teams will eliminate dangerous wait timesBY JULIA WADE
After doing the rounds among local shops through April, a 2000-strong petition calling for Mangawhai’s ambulance teams to be paid in the hope the service’s availability will improve, has been officially placed in the hands of Northland MP Matt King. Four proactive local women, Betty Trevett, Marion Pilmer, Bev Williams and Carol Stebben were responsible for starting the petition, deciding to take action after they became increasingly aware of the amount of stories they were hearing about injured or seriously ill people enduring long waiting periods for an ambulance. “It is not just one or two people with a similar experience, we have heard of dozens,” Carol says. “The more we talked about it the more we became concerned so we put the petition out there to open a conversation as there was just so much chatter about the delays. It seems to be an ongoing problem.” Bad experiences One of the organisers, Betty Trevett, had a recent experience herself, having to wait 90 minutes for an ambulance after she collapsed outside Mangawhai Club in March, which she says caused unnecessary stress and anxiety. “Fortunately my condition was not life threatening but had it been, the outcome could have been major… an ambulance should be available to attend in a reasonable time.” Marion’s husband, who suffers from epilepsy, also had an agonising two-and-a-half hour wait after becoming trapped at the bottom of his garden with deep lacerations to his legs. He was eventually attended to by Mangwhai Volunteer Fire Service. Gone backwards A resident for over 20 years, Carol says she remembers a time when dialling 111 for an ambulance would mean only a short wait for medical assistance. “We had a very efficient system… a first-responder would attend in a short time, they assessed the patient, arranged for a doctor or an ambulance and stayed with them to provide comfort,” she says. “The responder was then free to stay in Mangawhai for the next call out, it was fantastic. That is what we’ve lost – it feels like we’ve gone back a step.” First-responders used their own cars to attend emergency calls Carol says until Mangawhai Community Trust donated a vehicle, but ‘no one knows where it is now’. The women hope the petition would show support for a fully-funded ambulance or lead to the reinstatement of a paid first-responder especially in light of the recent announcement of an increase in government funding for St John. Carol noticed a change in the ambulance service about five years ago after a friend fell over and broke both her ankles while playing bowls, and had to endure a two hour wait for emergency services. Other residents’ stories tell a range of experiences, from a quick arrival time of only minutes to a long two hours, and then being billed for the service. Some users questioned whether it would have been quicker, and cheaper due to the ambulance charge, to transport patients themselves to hospital rather than everyone waiting in a stressed state for too long. Long waiting times A young local woman, who required the emergency service twice within three days after suffering unexpected haemorrhaging, had two different experiences. Her first call to 111 in January 2018 brought an ambulance promptly to her aid before transferring her to Whangarei Hospital. The second incident three days later however, saw her waiting for over 45 minutes, her pain so extreme pain it apparently caused her to pass out. “The second haemorrhage was worse than childbirth so I knew I was in trouble… I thought I was going to die. Turns out I had a 6cm tumour on my cervix that was effectively erupting.” The mother of two young children also had to wait over an hour for an ambulance after her three-year-old suffered a deep cut to his leg which subsequently required 12 stitches. She says she feels nervous about using the service now given her experiences. Despite expressing frustration about the long waiting periods, users say they have no complaints about the St John team. Carol agrees and says the volunteers, paramedics and people of St John are wonderful: “They’re top rate, however unfortunately the waiting times are not. We don’t want to create a problem, we want to work with St John, we need them. “We just need to get back to where we were so people can feel safe when they dial 111… if I make the call I just want to know they will come.” Women on a mission. From left, Betty Trevett, Carol Stebben and Bev Williams present the St John funding petition to Northland MP Matt King. Absent: Marion Pilmer. PHOTO/Supplied |