Consumer Council & Families Council Report

Each year, Wellington Free Ambulance holds our biggest fundraising event of the year, known as Onesie Day. Typically, this peer-to-peer fundraising event encourages people in Greater Wellington and Wairarapa to don a Onesie, shake a bucket on the streets, and fundraise for their one and only ambulance service. After months of planning, organisation, liaising and communicating with volunteers and external stakeholders, Aotearoa suddenly plunged into a lockdown in August 2021. With Onesie Day around the corner, we knew alert level changes were unlikely and that the safety of the community and our dedicated supporters was our biggest priority. This was the second year that COVID-19 had significantly impacted how we fundraise, but the support from our community was unwavering. Wellington Free Ambulance made the quick decision to transform our street collection on Onesie Day into a hybrid event that was held purely online. By engaging with our community and supporters through digital means, we managed to raise over $283,000 by the end of our 2021 Onesie Campaign, making it our most successful community fundraising event on record.

Kia piki te ora, piki te kaha, piki te wairua, piki te māramatanga The Consumer Council has continued to support WFA when and where it could throughout 2022. The roopu has not been able to meet as frequently as scheduled due to the impact Covid – 19 and the influenza has had on an already stretched workforce. The Consumer Council recognised the pressure that WFA faced with the challenges of staff shortages and increased workloads, so agreed to postpone the face-to-face hui and instead offer advice and feedback either via zoom or through email feedback. September saw the roopu meet face to face for the first time this year. The Consumer Council continues to support WFA and offer a consumer perspective to all they review or are involved in. They continue to ask the question and attempt to understand what the inequities are that face WFA service users; however this is yet to be fully articulated. The final hui for 2022 is scheduled for December 5th when the roopu will need to appoint new co-chairs as the term for the current co-chair will come to an end.

Nāku noa iti nei Mā Rongo, mā Tāne, mā Maru tātou e ruruhau Nā Janeen Cross Co-Chair WFA Consumer Council

The Families’ Council has continued to support the ongoing operations of Wellington Free Ambulance. Although the Council’s activities have been impacted by COVID-19 they have continued to represent the families of WFA. We look forward to collaborating with the Families’ Council in 2023 to design a work plan that will ensure we can continue to provide the best support for our people and their families. Polly Johnson Chair of the Families’ Council 21-22

We have been working very closely with our funders through the National Ambulance Service Office (NASO) team, who represent both Te Whatu Ora and ACC, to finalise and embed a new four-year funding contract. The intent of this work has been to strengthen our partnership with our funders, working together to ensure a sustainable level of funding to provide essential services to the communities we serve.

PATIENT STORY

Linda woke up one night thinking her husband Greg was having a bad dream, but she soon realised his gurgling sounds and flailing about was her own nightmare unfolding. Greg was having a cardiac arrest. She dialled 111 and was connected to Stella, a recent recruit who had just completed her training. Stella was settling into the responsibility of taking calls independent of a mentor when she took Linda’s call. After performing the triage questions, Stella knew CPR must be started immediately to give Greg the best chance of survival. She calmly guided Linda through moving Greg from the soft bed to the hard wood floor to ensure the surface was suitable for CPR compressions to begin. “It was all very new to me, and CPR calls were still a bit daunting, but something just clicked when I was talking to Linda. She did an amazing job even though she had only just woken up and had to get straight into resuscitating Greg.” Stella remembers. As Stella counted out the rhythm that would keep Greg’s heart moving blood around his body, she also managed to keep Linda calm, reassuring her that the ambulance crew were swiftly making their way through the dark to their home. Linda recalls “Without Stella we wouldn’t have Greg with us today, I know that for sure. Her reassuring tone and clear instruction gave me the strength and confidence to do what I needed to do. There are no words to describe how much her being there meant to me and our family.”

One afternoon, Brad was working on the family farm in Wellington, moving lambs into a new paddock. The lambs kept moving in the wrong direction, and Brad made the decision to follow them down a steep hill on his motorbike. That decision had a huge consequence for Brad. “About halfway down the hill, I went over a bump and lost my balance, which sent me over the handlebars,” says Brad. “I knew instantly that my ankle was badly broken.” When Wellington Free Ambulance paramedics, Les McKay and Charlotte McCormick arrived at the house, Brad’s family took them to Brad in a 4x4, up dirt tracks, across creek beds and through the forest. “When the paramedics arrived, they were amazing and put me at ease right away with their calm and professional manner, which helped us all in such a scary situation,” says Brad. Les and Charlotte assessed and treated Brad, and noticing that his ankle potentially required some extra treatment, they arranged to travel via Porirua ambulance station so that Rodney Parnell, an Intensive Care Paramedic, could help safely splint the ankle. Then together they all carried on to Wellington Hospital. “The ambulance staff made the whole situation very easy, and I felt like I could trust them,” recalls Brad. The relief I felt getting into the back of that ambulance was almost indescribable and I will be forever grateful for everyone involved in getting me to the hospital.”