Major incident protocols remain in place for Hato Hone St John, as record breaking 111 calls continue to put the ambulance service under pressure.
St John’s level one major incident declaration has remained in place since August 9 however, almost two weeks on, the pressure on staff shows no sign of easing.
Demand is expected to remain high in the coming weeks.
Christchurch metro area operations manager Brad Shuttleworth said the biggest challenge that crews were facing was the sustained workload.
“It's not just being felt by the emergency ambulance crews, the ones on the ambulance, but it's also being felt by the call handlers, dispatchers and our clinicians that work behind the phones and the people that you don't usually see."
The number of 111 calls reached a new record on August 14 with 2,606 calls, surpassing the previous record of 2,562 calls on August 8.
“We're still seeing sustained pressure. It does have its peaks and troughs, but there's no sign at the moment that our workload is going to decrease significantly in the coming weeks."
Although the increase in demand is still high, Shuttleworth said St John staff were working extremely hard to make sure their patients got the care they needed.
“We're working really closely with our partners at Health NZ and other allied agencies just to ensure that we have a good flow for patients, including making sure that the right patients are seen at the right time in hospitals.
“We expect the workload to remain elevated, and a lot of it has got to do with winter illness, although I guess it can vary considerably from day to day in between regions."
Because of the high volume of calls, St John staff were prioritising ambulances for patients who needed them most. Call handlers assess the situation and hear the chief complaint and determine the best course of action. This may include sending an ambulance or providing advice over the phone.
If people were experiencing life threatening injuries, they should continue to call 111 immediately, St John said.
However if it was a non-life threatening situation, people should contact their GP or local health services.
