Mark Quin: Ambulance Association National Secretary says people are frustrated by longer wait times for ambulences

St John's triggered a major incident response, after two consecutive weeks of record-high demand for ambulances. 

Saturday was the worst, with 2,500 call outs. 

The service says some wait times are longer than usual for those not in critical condition. 

Ambulance Association National Secretary Mark Quin told Ryan Bridge that delays are probably making people more frustrated. 

He says while not appropriate, he imagines people are voicing their opinions. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Saint John's one on one service has broken its daily
call record three times. In the last week. Saturday they
had two five hundred and sixty two calls. The normal
average is nineteen hundred. We're declaring a major incident. This
is related to winter, seasonal illness, influenza, respiratory illness. These
are the things that drive our demand. Mark quinn is

(00:21):
Ambulance Association National secretary with me this morning. Mark, good morning,
Good morning. So people are calling in because they've got
colds or it was something more serious. What is driving it?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Oh, it's across the board. Obviously the winter staff, particularly
last week, has driven another amount of winter illnesses to
get to this point. But it is across the board,
plus increasing medical calls on top of any accidents. But yeah,
there is, It's right across the board. But yes, certainly

(00:58):
the winter illnesses and flus have have also significantly contributing
to the increasing calls.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
In Mark, is there any you know what percentage of
the callers you get to actually need an ambulance. Is
there an increase in those or is it genuine illness?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, the data suggests has been overseas and in New
Zealan and showing that you know, the lowercurity calls are
sitting around eighty percent, maybe a little bit higher at times,
and obviously there's an increase in the callouts again coming
in winter with the flues, but it's insane that mixed

(01:35):
up in there, there's quite significant serious medical presentations.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
So eighty percent you're saying are probably not requiring an ambulance.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Well, yeah, This is the hard part is that the
pro QA system that is used to triarge the cause
as they come in, and that uses common words like
shortness of breath and chest pain, So that can relate
to anything from a chest infection as you can imagine,
because people will experience those those right through to having

(02:07):
a genuine heart attack for instance. So that when the
call goes comes in and triage to that system obviously
responds under a red would probably likely put it under
a red call, and that would determine the response to
the endlance, which would be under lights and sirens. So
this is the trouble with the triogys is not to

(02:28):
downplay people's illnesses or need for an amblance, but certainly
there is a need for There is other pathways to address,
but those pathways have been overloaded as well as well
been well documented.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
What about violent people, you know, when the paramedics turn up.
I was listening to Saint John yesterday. They said they've
been told if someone is violent or someone is agitated,
you don't actually have to treat them. That happening a lot.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Well, there's been well documented over a number of years,
and there has increased certainly arriving at the scenes and
then been presented or been a threatened even burbly or
physically with violence. And that's been occurring anyway on top
of it. And I suppose that the delay and ambulances
which has occurred, particularly believe in the last forty eight hours,

(03:22):
that only increases the frustration. So you can imagine that
well not appropriate people are voicing their you know, how
they're feeling about the significant delay and getting an amblance
to them.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
All right, got you, Mark, appreciate your time this morning.
Thank you, Mark Quinn, Ambulance Association National Secretary. For more
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