Editorial: Ambulance services deserve fresh funding solutions

St John Ambulance officers officers treat and transport more than 480,000 patients a year while 111 emergency call handlers take more than 530,000 calls a year. Photo / File

EDITORIAL:

Emergency ambulance services will receive the kind of warm, helping hand it offers to so many of us in this year's wellbeing Budget.

The one-off boost of $21 million over two years provides some surety and relief for St John and Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) as they work through the detail of how future funding arrangements will work with the Ministry of Health and ACC.

St John chief executive Peter Bradley was understandably pleased with the cash windfall after some difficult times, none-the-least the Christchurch mosques attacks on March 15.

The injection comes at an important time. St John faces moving its 111 clinical control centre staff out of a leaky building and into a fit-for-purpose space. It means it can also recover the costs for extra frontline paramedics employed in Christchurch in February - there is little doubt they were needed and responded in typical professionalism in March.

The funding announcement was also followed by an understandably sour reaction from FIRST Union, which represents about 1000 ambulance crew members, after the order suggested some of the funds would be used to retire debt.

For some time, it has surprised many to discover St John Ambulance Services are not fully funded by the government. It does however, receive support for about three-quarters of its operating costs. Contracts with the Ministry of Health, ACC and District Health Boards (DHBs) funded about 74 per cent of the direct operating costs in 2018.

The shortfall - 26 per cent of the operating costs last year - has to be made up from part charges, community donations, fundraising and revenue from commercial activities such as support at large events.

The order operates as a charity, and relies on financial and voluntary support to help fund the services provide to our communities. Fees, or "part charges" for ambulance calls are a necessary and important contribution to help St John continue.

The pressures can be readily seen with pleas daubed on ambulance windows to support ongoing action for better conditions and pay for ambulance professionals.

The funding model has long been considered antiquated but it has allowed St John to continue operating as a charity. This allows it to continue recruiting and deploying volunteers for programmes such as health shuttles, Caring Caller, Friends of the Emergency Department, ASB St John in Schools and the St John Youth programme.

But volunteer power can take a service - which assists nearly 90 per cent of New Zealanders and covers 97 per cent of the country's geographical area - only so far.

It will cost $240m to run the emergency ambulance service in the year to June 2019, of which the Government provides $170m, leaving St John with a gap of about $70m. St John's share of $21m for the next two years will go some way to easing the pressure.

With an ageing population and rising public awareness in illnesses which need swift attention, demand for ambulance services are unlikely to relent. The pressures can be readily seen with pleas daubed on ambulance windows to support the FIRST Union's ongoing action for better conditions and pay for ambulance professionals.

St John received more than 530,000 calls into its 111 emergency control centres and treated and/or transported almost 500,000 patients in the last financial year. If you were one of those patients needing that assistance, or calling 111 for help, it should be most heartening to you too that the Government has recognised your need.

Let's hope the work being undertaken to develop a sustainable, long-term model finds a more permanent funding solution soon.