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We are the only emergency ambulance service in greater Wellington and the Wairarapa, and the only ones in the country who are free.
We are the only emergency ambulance service in greater Wellington and the Wairarapa, and the only ones in the country who are free.
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Managing winter workload with Porirua 20
Managing winter workload with Porirua 20
29 July 2021
Every year, throughout winter, we face an increased demand on our frontline emergency ambulance service. While our normal resources are out and about, to help mitigate this pressure and ensure we can continue to provide the best possible care, we also have Porirua 20.
This vehicle is part of a project called Mahi Ngātahi, a term used to describe the unity of people working towards a specific goal or the implementation of a task.
It is crewed by an Emergency Medical Technician and First Responder from our Patient Transfer Service between 10am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The aim of the additional vehicle is to assist our emergency ambulance service by treating and transporting patients with less life-threatening symptoms from the likes of GPs and rest homes. This in turn helps our frontline crews remain available for other urgent or life-threatening emergencies.
In June this year, we attended 4238 callouts compared to 4012 in June 2020.
Charlotte is one of our Emergency Medical Technicians who works on Porirua 20. She explains that having the added vehicle on the road really does help both the workload and the patients who need us.
“It helps us ensure our community is well supported when high priority jobs are increasing and lower acuity jobs are unfortunately left pending until another vehicle becomes available,” Charlotte says.
In Charlotte’s opinion, the biggest impact is when they can successfully take the pressure off frontline workload by treating and transporting patients, especially if their condition is not life-threatening.
“Ultimately this helps our service as workload does increase with respiratory infections and seasonal sickness associated with colder months; the other benefit is that it can also help frontline crews get the downtime they need following intense and difficult jobs.”
This year, Porirua 20 started on Tuesday 6 July 2021 and will continue to assist with the workload until the end of the year.
Charlotte explains that looking after yourself and your family can also make a huge difference during winter. You can find out more about how we’re here for you, go to www.wfa.org.nz/hereforyou.
“You can treat most colds and flu-like illnesses with self-care and rest at home, but make sure you know when to seek medical help. It’s important that you isolate when you’re ill to prevent spread of infection but contact your GP as soon as you are unwell to begin treatment and prevent your illness becoming a life threatening emergency,” she says.
“Your support can also help us continue to be here for those who need us – wherever and wherever that might be.”
To help Wellington Free Ambulance remain here for you, go to www.wfa.org.nz/donate.