Te Kūiti’s loss could be Te Awamutu’s gain if a proposed change by Hato Hone St John goes to plan.
St John Ambulance – changes mooted
Waitomo mayor John Robertson has been assured such changes will not prove costly.
Alarm bells have been sounding for some time in Te Kuiti over fears the town’s only ambulance will head north to Te Awamutu.
St John was poised to deliver its prognosis at a meeting yesterday – after this edition went to press.
A document sent to staff outlines a plan and changes to be applied from March 31.
“With the proposed move to start and finish the Te Kūiti vehicle from Te Awamutu station, the vehicle will immediately travel to Te Kūiti to be based there,” the document says.
Pictured at the blessing of the new ambulances in Te Awamutu were, from left, Ken Williamson (Knight of the Order of St John), Craig Scott, ambulance officers Nigel Whibley, George McQuillan and Scott Gardiner and St John District Operations Manager Ross Clark.
“Forty-five minutes from the end of the shift it will… travel back to Te Awamutu station to end its shift.”
Difficulty recruiting people to be based in Te Kūiti is given as the reason behind the move.
St John Ambulance
‘Recruiting is harder to achieve in the more geographically remote areas… Historically and typically, the majority of staff who cover the Te Kūiti roster do not live in, or near, Te Kuiti and they are travelling considerable distances to commence their shift[s].
‘We believe this change will greatly enhance recruitment and retention for this roster which serves and benefits the Te Kūiti community… Te Awamutu will be more accessible/attractive to a greater number of staff to provide additional shift cover during roster gaps.’
Mark Quin from the NZ Ambulance Association is arguing against the move.
“Having worked in the service for 25 years, I think the community may suffer. I’ve put a submission in and told them my thoughts – not to [relocate] because it’s another resource out of the community, it’s another resource gone that you’ll never get back.”
“They [St John] have promised me that whatever changes are made it will not decrease the service level in our district,” he said. “The way they described it to me was that it will be driven down from each morning, first thing. That was a proposal, which I suspect they’ve been consulting on.”
St John Ambulance
