Hato Hone St John is extending its gratitude to New Zealanders for reserving 111 calls for emergencies on Saturday following ambulance capacity being reduced by up to 30 per cent at times throughout the day and into the evening.  

The second round of industrial action began at 4am on Saturday, August 24, with about 250 union members withdrawing their labour for four hours at the start of their shift.  

Hato Hone St John Deputy Chief Executive Ambulance Operations Dan Ohs says the day had been challenging, but unions had worked closely with the service to ensure that Life Preserving Services were available nationwide. 

Hato Hone St John had robust plans in place to respond to emergencies during the strike, however demand was up through the mid-morning and this had been challenging for the service, says Dan. 

“We did experience a surge in 111 earlier, with many of these calls relating to non-urgent conditions,” he says.  

“In many instances, we were assessing patients over the phone and either providing treatment advice or referring them to other health providers.” 

Dan notes that while the volume of non-urgent incidents increased mid-morning, the service was able to get to emergencies, and measures were in place to keep patients waiting for care safe. 

“We do not have any reports of patient adversity or complaints as a result of the strike.” 

However, Dan emphasises there was no room for complacency as they approached the evening. 

“We anticipated high demand late [Saturday] afternoon and into the evening. Saturday nights are typically busy for ambulance and other emergency services, and this weekend there are numerous events taking place across the country,” he says. 

“By all means in an emergency dial 111, however for less-urgent, clearly non-life-threatening cases we are asking the public to call Healthline or seek advice from their pharmacy in the first instance."