Operational Performance

We continue to drive and turnaround performance indicators, meet targets, and implement opportunities for better patient outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact globally and here in Aotearoa. For Wellington Free Ambulance, our priority is and always has been keeping our people, our patients, and the wider community we serve, safe. With the introduction of Delta and Omicron variants in the last financial year, and the Government’s move from an elimination approach to a suppression approach, it was essential Wellington Free Ambulance remained versatile with the inevitable rise of COVID-19 in the community. We deployed our Covid-Readiness Team - a dedicated group of individuals across Wellington Free Ambulance who were entrusted with ensuring

Wellington Free Ambulance’s COVID-19 response: + Creation of Covid-Readiness Team. + Creation of Operational Support Team to assist our crews on the road. + Additional ambulance(s) deployed to meet peak operational demand. + Additional Clinical Paramedic Advisors within the clinical hub to assist with increased demand for services and provide clinical support to patients via tele-triage. + A joint campaign with St John New Zealand urging people to save 111 for emergencies. our services were fully prepared for the anticipated increase of COVID-19, and subsequently, demand on our services. A comprehensive, four-level approach to our response was also implemented through the COVID-19 Escalation plan. This was different to the alert level and traffic light systems in place, and unique to the needs of Wellington Free Ambulance. To provide additional support to our team on the road in times of pressure, we created an Operational Support Team. Their assistance in covering nonclinical tasks and providing support to our Emergency Ambulance Services and Patient Transfer Services teams, helped protect the welfare and wellbeing of staff during the peak of the pandemic.

Our role at Wellington Free is to ensure positive health outcomes for everyone in our community. Wellington Free Ambulance is on an exciting journey to weave kaupapa Māori into the way we work and nurture ongoing relationships between our essential service and Māori communities. Danny Karatea-Goddard has contracted as Tai Pakeke (Senior Lead), providing a Māori presence at a senior level and assisting with Māori and iwi engagement at Wellington Free Ambulance. Supporting in the development of our Māori Health Strategy, Tai Pakeke Danny plays an instrumental role in mentoring Wellington Free Ambulance as we continue to pave the way for whakawhanaungatanga (forming relationships), kotahitanga (working together in unity) and manaakitanga (showing kindness, care, and compassion in all that we do). A pōwhiri (formal welcome) held at Pipitea Marae earlier this year signaled the start of this mahi. Not only was it the first of its kind in several years for Wellington Free Ambulance, but this special event highlighted the unique privilege we have with our Headquarters sitting on the original Pipitea Pa site - a sacred mana whenua part of land. This pōwhiri acknowledged not only a historical connection with Māori and Wellington Free Ambulance, but the start of a new relationship and friendship that benefits both sides and endures. This last financial year also saw the creation of a new role dedicated to Māori Health – Kaiwhakatūwhera Kaupapa Māori. The Kaiwhakatūwhera will be crucial in ensuring we produce positive health outcomes for Māori, and to achieve this we need to make sure we have strong relationships with iwi across the region. “Building community, engaging with Māori and bringing of aspects of

Māori culture so it’s normalised is a direction many organisations are heading towards. Wellington Free

Ambulance is on the beginning of this journey, and this is a signal that incorporating Māori into Wellington Free Ambulance is an important step for the organisation, for Māori health, and the community.” Tai Pakeke Danny Karatea-Goddard

Winter season is Wellington Free Ambulance’s busiest time of year, with Wellington Free Ambulance developing various initiatives that ensure the wheels keep turning and our team is equipped to handle spikes in demand. This includes Fit2Sit – an initiative that is now implemented year-round across all hospitals in our region – designed to reduce overcrowding and increase turnaround times for our ambulance crews.

Our Fit2Sit policy redirects patients who are mobile and meet certain criteria. Instead of being placed in a bed and wheeled into the emergency department, they are placed in the waiting room and given a card to present to staff, where clinical notes can be accessed. This allows for less interruptions for hospital triage staff, as well as the ability to ensure patients are triaged in the appropriate order with no ‘queue-jumping’. For Wellington Free Ambulance, our crews experience a quicker turnaround at hospital, being available to help the next person in need faster.

Outcomes: + Faster turnaround for paramedic crews, which in turn increases ambulance availability. + Reduced triage staff demand, allowing them to better prioritise incoming patients and a reduction in congestion at triage. + Reduced emergency department bed use for mobile patients. + Appropriate triaging, with no queue jumping because they were transported by ambulance.

Wellington Free Ambulance has been on a journey to implement a new shift pattern to improve staff wellbeing, manage fatigue, and to find a sustainable operational model for Wellington Free Ambulance in an ever-changing landscape in paramedicine. There have been staff surveys, staff workshops, staff meetings and external consultations researching future operational models. This year saw significant progress with the creation of a working group and committee to use all of this information to explore future shift pattern options for Wellington Free Ambulance. At the same time, we are also in the process of implementing a brand-new rostering system which will give us much better flexibility and will help us make adjustments to our shift patterns. This vital work to improve our systems and our ways of working will not only empower our people, but ensure we remain the ones for Greater Wellington and Wairarapa.

EVENTS STAFF PROFILE

We currently have 71 volunteers who give their time to work as Event Medics, helping keep people safe and well at community events, providing CPR training to community groups, and backing up our frontline crews in emergencies. Jackie Fuimaono volunteers for Wellington Free Ambulance as part of our Events Team. This involves assessing and treating patients at a range of sporting, music, family and community events such as Waitangi Day, New Year’s Eve and school sports. “I love that we can choose from so many options for our mahi. It means that I’ve been introduced to many parts of our diverse city from Roller Derby to BMX racing, and from Cuba Dupa to raves,” says Jackie. Through volunteering, I’ve gained friends, experience and new skills. I love going to work, you don’t know what the day will bring, and you need to be prepared for everything! It’s stimulating and challenging, sometimes scary but always very rewarding.”