As an essential service, St John is continuing to deliver its emergency ambulance operations and patient transfer services, following the country’s move to alert level 4.
We will continue to send the most appropriate emergency vehicle to the patient in greatest need as soon as possible. The public can be assured that if they call 111 for an ambulance, they will continue to get the same standard of response they always get from St John.
When calling 111 for an ambulance, St John asks the public to inform the emergency call handler if the patient, or anyone else at the address, is in self-isolation or has been exposed to a person who may have COVID-19. This will help our ambulance crews make the best decisions about infectious disease precautions.
All St John operational staff are trained in infection control practice; ambulance officers treat patients with infectious diseases all year round. To limit the risk of infection and to protect the public and keep our people safe, frontline ambulance officers are following strict clinical guidelines and taking universal precautions.
Our ambulance officers are routinely wearing Ministry of Health (MOH) recommended Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves when attending all patients and changing these between patients. We are confident we have sufficient stock of PPE for the predicted demand.
Contaminated surfaces and equipment are cleaned or safely disposed of in biohazard bags. St John ambulance officers have been instructed to reinstate droplet barriers in emergency ambulances and have been directed to only transport family members with patients in exceptional circumstances, in order to keep families and health workers safe.
St John is well adept to face another outbreak of COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and we will continue to step forward and be there for New Zealanders when they need us. We appreciate the support we have from the public and ask that you be kind and respectful to our frontline ambulance officers. Please follow the Government's rules and guidelines that are in place to protect you and your families and health workers to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Please attribute to Dan Ohs, St John Deputy Chief Executive – Ambulance Operations
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
For further information on St John’s response to COVID-19, visit stjohn.org.nz/covid-19.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND IMAGES CONTACT:
Beverley Tse
St John Media Relations Manager
M 027 318 1553 | E beverley.tse@stjohn.org