Nice One! magazine 2023

Nice One!

2023

Inside

Wellington Free Ambulance Changing and Saving Lives

• FIFA Women’s • Brand new • Onesie Appeal World Cup Rescue Squad returns to the 2023 vehicles streets

Kia ora tAtou The end of the year is always an opportunity to reflect.

To think about the highs and challenges of the past 12 months, to be grateful and give thanks.

While the year has been challenging when I consider the demand pressures on our service and people, I balance that by the generosity shown towards our team and the mahi from our community.

Tēnā koutou and thank When I speak with people who’ve had contact with Wellington you to everyone who has Free Ambulance, there is always a deeply held appreciation for the supported us this year. essential service we provide. These personal experiences highlight the important role we play in often a person or family’s hardest times. The appreciation affirms the work of our team, and the important place Wellington Free Ambulance continues to hold in our health system after almost 100 years of service.

The community is our bedrock: the people of Greater Wellington and Wairarapa who we are here to support, and the people who donate and volunteer to keep our service free for everyone.

Thank you for supporting our people and our service.

Warm regards,

Dave Robinson Chief Executive Wellington Free Ambulance

Because of you…

Wellington Free Ambulance is the only emergency ambulance service for Greater Wellington and Wairarapa, and the only ambulance service in Aotearoa New Zealand that’s free. Thanks to Government funding and the ongoing generosity of our community, our service remains uniquely free to anyone who needs us 24/7, 365 days a year.

Long-term supporter Audrey

Hononga Milon charity dinner

Wairarapa community fundraiser Evelyn (read more about Evelyn on page 19)

But we can only maintain a free service because of people like you: our community.

Tēnā koutou and thank you to everyone who has supported us this year, from individuals and schools through to workplaces, businesses, and communities.

Whether you donned a Onesie, held a fundraiser, remembered us in your Will, read our newsletter or liked a social media post, your actions have had an impact.

Turn to page 13 to see the impact you’ve had and the difference you’ve made.

Have a story about Wellington Free Ambulance you’d love to share? Email us!

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Emergency Ambulance Service Probably best known as lights and sirens, our Emergency Ambulance Service sees our ambulance crews constantly moving around the region, responding to calls for help from the community whenever and wherever they’re needed.

Responding to callouts across Greater Wellington and Wairarapa 24/7, 365 days a year, our Emergency Ambulance Service is made up of approximately 200 paramedics and several specialist teams.

These include our Urgent Community Care (UCC) team who provide specialist treatment at home; our Rescue Squad that treats and extracts patients in hard-to-reach places, like dense bush, cliff faces and rugged coastal locations; and Flight Paramedics who provide intensive care and specialist medical rescue services in the air on Life Flight’s Westpac helicopter.

Our frontline teams work tirelessly, providing urgent and vital emergency response to people like Rhiley and Karl.

In the past year:

53,897

17,476

27

emergencies responded to

patients treated at home

incidents required our Rescue Squad

36,625

2,793

185

patients transported for further treatment

incidents responded to by our UCC team

incidents required our Flight Paramedics

2,242,157 kms travelled

Rhiley’s story – a terrifying tornado On Tuesday 11 April 2023, a tornado ripped through Paraparaumu, lifting off roofs and damaging powerlines. It also lifted, then dropped and destroyed, the sleep-out that 16-year-old Rhiley was asleep in.

Rhiley’s mum Jade describes the morning of 11 April as “pretty stormy”. Around 5.15am, the wind got so intense that she feared her window was going to smash. At that instant, she knew she had to get out.

Jade’s 12-year-old son Cooper was in the bedroom next door, but 16-year-old Rhiley was in the sleep-out in the garden.

As Jade explains, “I know it sounds strange, call it mother’s instinct, but I knew immediately Rhiley

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was hurt. I grabbed Cooper from his room and ran to the front door, where Rhiley already was.”

“I knew instantly it was bad, and we needed medical help.

The first thing I saw was blood and that he had a huge gash.

The power cut out, so I couldn’t see how bad it was, but I knew I needed to call an ambulance.”

CONTINUED >

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> CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS

According to Jade, “I knew that I had to remain calm to get the help needed, but the constant reassurance and the guidance to my husband on how to stem the bleeding was faultless and done with so much empathy”.

It took just 8 minutes from Jade making the call to Rhiley being in the ambulance where our paramedics could assess and treat him.

There were 3 staff working that day and Jade says “they were so kind, checking everyone else was ok. We were so well-informed throughout

and I feel their compassion and care was outstanding.”

Rhiley had a collapsed lung and needed urgent surgery as he had a large piece of glass lodged between his rib cage and lung, which had pierced his lung. He needed chest drains and spent almost a week in hospital, but he’s since made a full recovery.

For now, Jade and family just want to “truly thank the ambulance service for being there whenever we need them and giving us the ultimate reassurance and care”.

Karl’s story of survival A happy constant in Karl’s life is his love for football and you can often find him playing it. But one day while playing football at Shed 1 on Wellington’s waterfront, as he had hundreds of times before, everything changed.

“We had just finished a game and I was walking off the field. It was two to three minutes after the game had Karl and his team of rescuers finished and I felt as though I was getting tired and not recovering,” Karl Karl woke up in hospital the following day. recalls. Karl didn’t know it yet, but he was having An MRI scan determined that Karl had blocked a sudden cardiac arrest. arteries in his heart and a quadruple bypass While his teammates were chatting, they surgery was needed. Five days later he returned turned around and saw Karl lying on his back, home – the start to a long road to recovery. gasping for breath, changing colour – they knew But just three months after his surgery, Karl they had to act, and fast. Karl’s teammate Jo played his first game of indoor football. made the emergency call to 111, a Shed 1 staff member started CPR, and Orla looked for the nearest available AED. An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) analyses the heart’s rhythm and delivers an electrical shock (or defibrillation) to help the heart re-establish an effective We, as a city, are just rhythm. Good CPR combined with the use of an so lucky to have Wellington AED can increase cardiac arrest survival rates up Free Ambulance and I’m just to 80%.

“Because of the AED, my friend’s and other bystanders’ CPR and the response of the paramedics, I was given the best chance possible,” he says.

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so happy to live in Wellington and have Wellington Free Ambulance’s services available for the wider region. It’s both critical, and reassuring.

– Karl

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Patient Transfer Services Our Patient Transfer Services safely and comfortably transport patients to and from scheduled healthcare appointments. Organised by health providers, they run 17 hours per day, seven days a week throughout our region.

Our team of approximately 55 Patient Transfer Officers managed over 40,000 transfers in the past year alone.

As well as transporting people to and from planned hospital appointments, they assist with transfers between aged care facilities or hospices and other community-based homes or treatment centres.

These transfers are non-emergency so there’s often an opportunity to build a great bond and rapport with patients - people like Mel.

In the past year:

40,459

1,371,555

patient transfers completed

kms travelled

Mel’s story – a (shell) fishy encounter What was supposed to be a routine trip to the vet for Mimi the English bulldog turned into a frightening medical incident for Mel. It was a quiet Saturday morning and Mel had some time before she needed to take Mimi to the vet – but first, breakfast: Mel was craving some leftover takeaway garlic prawns.

When it was time to go to the vet, Mimi decided she wasn’t getting in the car and instead wriggled out of her harness and leash before running off.

Mel, who has a blood disorder as well as other health conditions, simply couldn’t catch her.

Luckily, a couple grabbed hold of Mimi and held her until Mel could get there. With her harness and leash on (again), Mel and Mimi completed their journey to the vet on foot.

At first, Mel felt ok. But when they came out, Mel remembers “feeling like something was happening. I thought it was because I’m asthmatic or because I was feeling anxious”.

But she noticed that her eyes were burning, her fingers were swelling, and her vision was going funny. Mel realised she was “starting to pass out”.

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Thankfully, Mel’s husband arrived just in time to see the collapsed Mel. He drove her to Kenepuru Hospital where staff discovered Mel was in anaphylactic shock.

Once Mel was stabilised, the hospital team decided to transfer her to Wellington Hospital where she could be monitored in case she went into anaphylactic shock again.

Enter Ross, Patient Transfer Officer. Upon arriving in her room, Ross introduced himself and began the task of comforting and transferring Mel. When they arrived at the hospital, Ross was there every step of the way, including when Mel’s husband and daughter arrived - who were quickly welcomed by Ross with a well-timed joke or two.

Mel remembers that Ross “didn’t leave straightaway or leave me alone in the Emergency Department, he stayed with me the whole time until I was in a room and a doctor had seen me.

Although everyone - me, my husband and my daughter - was stressed, Ross made us feel less anxious and like we were in good hands”.

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Clinical Communications Centre In most emergency situations the first contact with Wellington Free Ambulance is over the phone with the Clinical Communications Centre, the heroes you never see at the end of your 111 call.

Our Clinical Communications Centre, based at Davis Street in Thorndon, Wellington, is one of just three Ambulance Communications Centres across Aotearoa New Zealand (the other two are in Auckland and Christchurch). It’s staffed 24/7, 365 days a year by around 60 Emergency Medical Dispatchers and Call Takers.

It includes our Clinical Hub, made up of approximately 17 Clinical Paramedic Advisors. Also working as paramedics on the road, our Clinical Paramedic Advisors provide 24/7 support to ensure patients are triaged appropriately, including monitoring patients over the phone until ambulance crews arrive.

Our highly skilled and trained Call Takers are ready for any eventuality when answering calls to 111.

They are calm, firm and reassuring - something the soon-to-be first-time mum Nikita really appreciated.

In the past year:

164,136

16,307

14,907

6,725

CCC overview and stats

emergency calls answered

hours spent on the phone

calls that received Clinical Paramedic Advisor support

incidents handled by Clinical Paramedic Advisors that then didn’t need an ambulance

Baby Malakai’s unexpected early entrance When Nikita, 38 weeks pregnant with her first child, woke at 3am experiencing pain she didn’t think much of it. Being her first child, she had heard the stories of first babies being late and long labours.

As the pains escalated, Nikita woke her mum and dad for support; a phone call to the midwife provided reassurance and Nikita tried to go back to bed to rest. However, rest was impossible as the pains were now minutes apart.

It was clear to everyone that Nikita was in labour and getting to the hospital became the priority.

“My biggest fear was my baby being born on the side of the road or in the car, I just knew I didn’t want to get into the car” explains Nikita, despite her dad Grayson insisting that they needed to get to hospital and now!

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At this point, Grayson phoned 111 for an ambulance. The call was answered by Wellington Free Ambulance Senior Call Taker Phoebe.

“I was quickly able to establish that we were going to be delivering this baby at home – my focus was on getting Nikita into a safe place and calmly and firmly giving instructions to Nikita’s mum Catrina to deliver the baby,” Phoebe recalls.

As Grayson gathered towels and blankets, Phoebe talked Catrina through what needed to happen to deliver her grandson and after just three pushes baby Malakai was born in the hallway of the family home.

Phoebe stayed on the phone supporting the family until the ambulance crew arrived.

“Having Phoebe and Wellington Free Ambulance there for me and mum and dad made all the difference, it was the difference in making sure Malakai was born safely. We love him so much and we are all so grateful.”

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Event Medical Services If you’ve ever been to a large community event, you’ve probably seen our Event Medical Services team! From concerts and festivals to marathons and sport games, we’re on the sidelines ready to help.

Wellington Free Ambulance’s team of approximately 80 volunteer Event Medics are on hand to provide emergency medical support if needed at high profile events across Greater Wellington and Wairarapa.

These include local favourites like Island Bay Festival, Wellington Phoenix matches, Wheels at Wairarapa, Martinborough Festival, Wairarapa Balloon Fiesta Night Glow and the Wharf to Wharf swim. Our Event Medics provide everything to keep you safe (whether you’re attending, or participating!), from First Aid and pain relief through to more specialised emergency medical care. Wellington Free Event Medics are all trained to first responder level meaning they can deal with a wide range of accidents or medical situations.

In the past year:

480

829

9,328

events attended by Event Medical Services

total event attendances by Volunteer Event Medics

hours spent at key events across the region

Kicking into action at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Football fever struck Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington throughout July and August 2023 with the kick-off of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

To support the largest women’s sporting event in the world and one of the largest events to ever be hosted in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington, we worked in partnership with our Hato Hone St John colleagues to provide event medical services at all the Sky Stadium matches here in the capital.

Spanning 9 matches and 52 training sessions, in total 102 Wellington Free Ambulance staff spent 966 hours providing event medical care to 203,770 crowd attendees and attending 124 patients.

As Dan, Events Manager, explains: “We were tasked with undertaking event medical services for the greatest women’s football event

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in the world while approaching it from an interprofessional collaboration with Hato Hone St John – the first of its kind. The professionalism, high standards of clinical excellence, and dedicated participation from staff allowed this to be a significant step in building a collaborative relationship between the two ambulance services around future event collaborations across New Zealand.”

Photo credit - accredited photographer Ryan Imray / Imray Snaps

A ‘Perfect’ evening at Ed Sheeran’s Wellington concert Our Event Medic team couldn’t have been ‘Happier’ to be there for the almost 50,000 ‘Beautiful People’ who attended the Ed Sheeran concert at Sky Stadium in February 2023. We even got this ‘Photograph’ to commemorate it!

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The transformational impact of The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Lloyd Morrison died in 2012 and since 2015 Julie Nevett and the Board of The Lloyd Morrison Foundation have been instrumental in saving and changing tens of thousands of lives across Greater Wellington and Wairarapa.

As the Cornerstone Partner of Wellington Free Ambulance, Julie Nevett and The Lloyd Morrison Foundation have generously donated $4.65 million. The donations made have an impact on every area of Wellington Free, ensuring we can respond to our community when they need us.

The core areas where the commitment and support of The Lloyd Morrison Foundation has been directly applied since 2015 include: •

Funding for nine high spec fully equipped with the latest technology ambulances that have responded to a total of 82,934 emergency incidents. The ninth ambulance arrived in August 2023.

•

Funding for The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat Programme that has trained 28,686 people in life-saving CPR skills since the programme launched in 2016.

•

Funding for 250 community AEDs and their ongoing maintenance across the region, these are instrumental in saving lives in a sudden cardiac arrest. One AED on Wellington waterfront saved two lives in just six weeks.

In the past year The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat Programme impact has been:

5,279

people taught CPR, including:

209

1,284

5-90

92

secondary years school students age range

CPR training sessions were held, made up of:

84

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businesses/ community/ student public workplaces sport groups courses events

94 11

8

25

AEDs installed

AEDS privately sold in the region

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Elliott Morrison proudly launched the 9th ambulance donated by LMF alongside Isabella Morrison, Julie Nevett and the Wellington Free Team from left to right – Dan, Rachel, Claire, Dave and Kate.

At times of crisis and extreme demand, Julie Nevett and The Lloyd Morrison Foundation have provided additional funds to support other aspects of Wellington Free, this support has been instrumental in the continuation of our services to the community.

There is no other Trust or Foundation who contributes and supports Wellington Free to the level of commitment of The Lloyd Morrison Foundation. The collective impact of the number of people who have been trained in lifesaving CPR and the accessibility of AEDs will save lives.

The consistent support towards an ambulance to add to our fleet each year ensures our frontline crews can respond in fit-for-purpose vehicles, again contributing to saving and changing lives each and every day.

As well as consistent long-term funding, The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Board has been incredible.

I have 50+ years of nursing experience and in that time have attended many CPR trainings and updates. This Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat course would rate up there as one of the best. The instructor kept it simple and he never lost my attention. - LMF Heartbeat Programme participant

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MEET THE TEAM

The people of Wellington Free Ambulance

Wellington Free has a team of around 400 people. Whether in an ambulance or helicopter, on the end of the phone, at an event, or providing support services in IT, fundraising or logistics, they’re all passionate people dedicated to making a difference to people’s lives, every day. Meet just some of our team.

Kirsty, Paramedic Nine years ago, Kirsty was diagnosed with moderate hearing loss in both ears to low-pitched sounds, a diagnosis that led her to learn New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). As Kirsty explains, “At the time of diagnosis, my hearing appeared to be deteriorating quickly. I do wear hearing aids in both ears, and I wanted to still be able to communicate if I lost my hearing completely”.

Thankfully, deterioration has slowed and now Kirsty is fully equipped with another language. Kirsty has discovered great tools that support her work.

As she explains: “I have a digital stethoscope that I use on the road. I can change the volume and the frequency on it which allows me to listen to patients’ lung sounds in a way that I can best hear them.”

Eseta, Call Taker Eseta is a proud Samoan and busy mum of 5 golf-loving kids who takes pride in her culture and heritage – it’s her strong connection to her community that drives the work she does here.

Eseta’s daily life puts her at the end of the phone with our patients where she relies on her communication skills to offer reassurance and support.

Eseta’s bilingual language skills (she’s fluent in both English and Samoan) can make a big difference when talking to patients. As Eseta explains, “Being able to get the right information from our patients and then sharing information from our team helps everything run smoothly.”

Geoff, Paramedic Geoff started his paramedicine career in the UK 10 years ago. After years of NHS service, Geoff and his partner sold their house, intending to move overseas for six months.

Geoff and his partner arrived in in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington in October 2022. When interviewing with Wellington Free, Geoff knew this was the role for him. “I just got a real great vibe about the place,” he says.

After years of working in the big city, Geoff chose to work in a rural setting in the Wairarapa. “It’s arguably one of the best offices anyone could ever work in. It’s an awesome place in a beautiful part of the world and I get to work in it.”

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MEET THE TEAM

The people of Wellington Free Ambulance Amber, Bequest Manager A proud Wellingtonian, busy mum of three teenagers, op shop trawler, and life-long dog lover, Amber describes her role as “no two days are the same”. On a daily basis, you’ll find Amber “working with our loyal supporters who are considering leaving a legacy gift”. This includes “working through their plans, keeping in touch, and crucially, showing the transformational impact their gift makes.”

But most importantly to Amber, it involves “acknowledging and thanking our incredible supporters and building really meaningful connections. I spend a lot of time on the phone and popping out to visit them”.

Chris, Board Member Lower Hutt GP Dr Chris has been a Board member since August 2022.

For around two years before that, he’d also been a member of the Clinical Governance Committee (CGC).

Chris explains that deciding to become a Board member was “an easy decision. I had valued my time on the CGC and had seen what a fantastic organisation Wellington Free was. I have an interest in governance of community healthcare providers and hoped that I could contribute to the governance of Wellington Free.”

Although Chris has been on the Board a relatively short time, he’s enjoyed the Wairarapa Station project and it’s “been exciting to see [it] go from planning to implementation”.

Emilia, Event Medic Emilia decided to volunteer for Wellington Free because “I like to give back and make a difference in my local community, and volunteering with Wellington Free is perfect for doing that. I also get to meet a fun bunch of people that live by the same values.”

Volunteering with us has given Emilia some memorable experiences, such as “attending local sports events like roller derby or speedway.

It’s great to see the determination and passion of the players.”

Reflecting on being an Event Medic, Emilia says: “When I first started, I was unsure if I had what was needed to do the role. However, the support and training I have been provided were fantastic, and I can’t imagine doing anything else now.”

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KPMG is proud to be a longterm business partner of Wellington Free Ambulance and Principal Sponsor of the Rescue Squad. We’re honoured to support the amazing paramedics who are on call 24/7 to help reach and rescue patients when neither an ambulance or helicopter can.

- Godfrey Boyce, Chief Executive, KPMG For more than 70 years KPMG has been supporting Wellington Free Ambulance, most recently as Principal Partner of the Rescue Squad.

KPMG and our community to the rescue One of the specialist teams at Wellington Free Ambulance is our rescue squad.

The Wellington Free Rescue Squad is a team of paramedics of all levels who are specially trained to get to, treat and extract patients in hard-to-access locations like dense bush, cliff faces and rugged coastal locations. Their training includes rope access and 4-wheel drive training, added awareness in remote medicine, and assessing and treating patients without the equipment they usually have in an ambulance.

On call 24/7, the Rescue Squad is hugely important when we think about how much our community enjoys getting out into the mountains, coastal tracks, and hills of our region. They are the team who can get to patients when no one else can.

This ability to access cut-off or remote communities was hugely important during this year’s severe weather event, Cyclone Gabrielle.

Our team was part of the Emergency Operations and support in the Wairarapa, providing insight and support to ensure residents’ medical needs were met. Our team also responded to a request from Hato Hone St John to go into and support isolated communities on the East Coast to ensure their medical needs were met.

Thanks to the support of our community and the long-term Principal Partner of our Rescue Squad, KPMG, we have added two custom built, fully equipped 4WD vehicles to our fleet.

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At the request of Hato Hone St John, the Wellington Free Ambulance Rescue Squad supported operations during Cyclone Gabrielle in Coromandel and Tairawhiti.

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The impact you’ve helped Wellington Free Ambulance make Emergency Ambulance Service

Event Medical Services

53,897

480

emergencies responded to

events attended by Event Medical Services

36,625 patients transported for further treatment

829

17,476

total event attendances

by Volunteer Event Medics

patients treated at home

Patient Transfer Services 40,459

9,328 hours spent at key events across the region

patient transfers completed

Heartbeat and AEDs

1,371,555

5,279

kms travelled

people taught essential CPR skills

Clinical Communications Centre 164,136

209 CPR training sessions held

emergency calls answered

94

16,307

community-access AEDs installed across the region

hours spent on the phone

14,907 calls that received Clinical Paramedic Advisor support

$

Cost to the people of Greater Wellington and Wairarapa who need us:

$0

Thanks to your support!

Hear from some of the people we’ve helped...

“I have no words for the two paramedics who assisted me.

They were absolutely incredible on every single possible level.”

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“I was impressed with the complete service overall – right from the phone call through to the ambulance arriving.”

“For people like myself, you are much more than a close friend and family member.

Thank you for saving my life!”

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The most Onesie-ful time of the year The most Onesie-ful time of the year was held in the first week of September with our annual Onesie Appeal. This appeal sees the whole community get behind Wellington Free Ambulance, raising funds to keep our services uniquely free for anyone in Greater Wellington and Wairarapa.

In 2023 a record-breaking $268,500 was donated!

After a COVID-related hiatus, the Street Collection was able to return after a threeyear absence. A massive thank you to the 450 volunteers who gave more than 665 hours of their time to collect. The return of the street collection across the region generated around $80,000!

A huge thanks must go to our Onesie Principal Partner Summerset Retirement Villages who generously matched all online donations during appeal week up to $50,000.

Thank you to everyone who contributed!

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Onesie Appeal is a One-sieful opportunity for our community to have some fun and raise funds for the one and only emergency ambulance service in our region. A massive thank you to everyone who donated or raised money – these smiling faces say it all!

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The Crew behind THE crew

our Support Crew businesses

It takes a team to keep our services running and make sure we can be there for anyone who needs us in Greater Wellington and Wairarapa. The crew behind the crew are our ever-increasing group of over 40 Support Crew businesses. From a range of industries, our Support Crew all have something in common: the desire to support and keep the free Wellington Free Ambulance.

While there are some core support requirements to be a Support Crew business, we design bespoke packages based on the business’ desire to support. Every business chooses to support in a way that works for them. That can be an annual donation and/or in-kind support, like low-cost electricity supply to all our ambulance stations thanks to Flick Electric Co. All our Support Crew have different reasons for joining the team, from wanting to support local to having a personal connection to our service – like Blair from Hnry.

Blair’s story - Partner Success Manager, Hnry Blair’s first interaction with Wellington Free was nearly 11 years ago when he and wife Sasha were expecting their second child.

Blair laughingly admits that they were a bit “nonchalant about getting to the hospital” and before they knew it, Sasha went into labour at home.

Unable to contact their midwife, Blair called 111.

He recalls that the Wellington Free call taker was “calm and collected. They understood how I was feeling and talked me through what I had to do”.

When the ambulance crew arrived, little Oliver had already been born, delivered by Blair.

Blair remembers how the paramedics were “super aware” of the state of shock the newly expanded whānau were in. Yet “I felt like we were in a safe pair of hands from the get-go, from the phone call through to seeing the paramedics”, he says.

A huge tēnā koutou and thanks to our Support Crew members for their generous support throughout the past year and helping us continue to be there for everyone who needs us in Greater Wellington and Wairarapa 24/7, 365 days a year, for free:

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•

AD Architecture

•

Allworks

•

Arthur D Riley & Co

•

Arthur Holmes Ltd

•

Brendon Motor Group

•

Co-operative Bank

•

Dinosaur Polo Club

•

Dovetail Builders

•

EndGame

•

ES3

•

Flick Electric Co.

•

Four Square Fergusson

• • • • • • • • •

As Hnry’s Partner Success Manager, among Blair’s responsibilities is finding partnerships, including local organisations to support. His personal experiences with Wellington Free ‘absolutely’ influenced Hnry’s decision to become a Support Crew member, which was 100% supported by Hnry cofounders Claire and James.

Blair explains: “Wellington Free Ambulance has touched so many people’s lives, many of them Hnry staff and undoubtedly our Hnry customers. When approached by WFA, it resonated with me personally. As a business, we are now proud supporters of Wellington Free, and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Higgins Contractors Highflo Co. Hnry Holmes Construction NZ Jade Property Management Kim von Lanthen & Associates KJ & LM Burns Masterton Computer Services Masterton Medical

• • • • • • • • •

Mojo Printing.com Resync Southey Sayer Chartered Accountants Specsavers New Zealand Spiral Software Survey Insight The Featherston Tavern The Green Man

•

The Integral Group

•

TIMG

•

Tycab New Zealand

•

Ultibend

•

UPG Pipe Systems

•

Wellington Registered Master Builders

•

Wright Pools and Spas

•

Yellow Brick Road Seafood

•

Yus Homes

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Ambulances that joined our fleet Our Emergency Ambulance Service is there when our community needs us. From cardiac arrests to serious falls, our paramedics need to be able to respond to medical emergencies and accidents whenever we’re needed, day or night.

We must replenish our ambulance fleet with six to eight new ambulances each year to ensure we have the capacity to meet the demands of our community. Each ambulance in service with Wellington Free is philanthropically funded and costs around $300,000 fully kitted and delivered.

Thank you for your generous support

Each ambulance in our fleet will travel around 100,000kms each year, moving around the region responding to the more than 53,000 incidents and calls for help.

During the year we were privileged to launch a number of ambulances thanks to our generous donors.

Wayne and Lyn Norwood, gifting two ambulances on behalf of the Norwood family.

With thanks to the C & F Odlin Trust.

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With thanks to Ray Thomas and Family.

With thanks to an anonymous donor.

With thanks to Mike Todd.

Each ambulance in service with Wellington Free is philanthropically funded and costs around $300,000 fully kitted and delivered.

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With thanks to Julie Nevett and The Lloyd Morrison Foundation.

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Build Wairarapa Station In January 2023 we launched a major infrastructure project with the intention to build a IL4-rated ambulance station in Masterton. This means it will withstand a greater level of seismic shaking than ordinary commercial structures.

Key Features

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Wairarapa Station

•

Built to IL4 Standard – it’s designed and built to withstand a greater level of earthquake shaking than ordinary commercial structures.

•

Can be used by the whole region and all emergency response in the event of a civil emergency or natural disaster.

•

Will be used as the Wellington Free Ambulance operations centre if other regional services are compromised.

•

The Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat Training Centre will provide a space for community groups across the region to attend free CPR training.

•

State-of-the-art facilities will support all Wairarapa-based staff – including agile workspaces, fully sound proofed sleeping rooms, and a fully equipped kitchen.

The Wairarapa Station will be state-of-the-art and fit-for-purpose to house the local crews and embed Wellington Free Ambulance as the only emergency ambulance service for the Wairarapa community.

The Station will be built in Masterton as the largest population centre across the towns of the Wairarapa and is centrally located so we can reach even the most remote areas of the Wairarapa. The Greytown Station at Five Rivers will remain a key base for the support of South Wairarapa.

This vital investment in the community will come at a cost of around $7.5 million and will be funded in a partnership model across Wellington Free Ambulance, community fundraising and a contribution from central Government.

The community fundraising target to build this Station is set at around $3 million and since launching this campaign we’ve been thrilled with the response. Thanks to the generosity of the community, we’re just over halfway towards this $3 million goal. A huge thank you to all the individuals, businesses and community groups who have donated, as well as the trusts and foundations who have provided grants.

Special mention and ongoing appreciation to the Wairarapa family (who wish to remain anonymous) for their transformational $1 million gift.

This Station will be built for the community by the community.

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All donations made in the Wairarapa stay in the Wairarapa to fund this essential project.

Donate online or phone 0508 932 3733.

Evelyn’s story – Wairarapa community fundraiser In November 2018, Evelyn was just 5 years old when she took a tumble out of the parked family car and hit her head on the car door.

With blood everywhere and a “very open” head wound, mum Mary could see straightaway “it would be a hospital job”. Five years on from her Wellington Free Ambulance experience, Evelyn has become one of our most dedicated community fundraisers, raising vital funds every year to support us.

After her experience with Wellington Free, Evelyn decided to give back – in her own words, she wanted to help keep Wellington Free “free for everyone”, like she experienced. So, in 2019 she started donating to us. Then she decided she wanted to skate or bike the distance she rode in the ambulance on the day of her accident – a huge 16km! – and to get sponsored for it, which she did for the first time in 2020. In 2021,

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Evelyn got her classmates to take part in Onesie Day. She also matched what they donated and did another sponsored ride.

2022 was another sponsored bike ride and Onesie Day at school.

This year, Evelyn heard on the radio about building our new Wairarapa Station and decided to support the build by painting and selling rocks within her community (with a little help from nanna!).

Mary says, “to Wellington Free Ambulance we will forever be grateful” – and we remain grateful for incredible supporters and fundraisers like Evelyn and her family.

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Staff awards

Awards and recognition

Each year we acknowledge the outstanding service and contribution of our team members at the Annual Staff and Long Service Awards.

The Long Service Awards are presented to our team to acknowledge and celebrate their continued commitment to Wellington Free through a variety of lengths of service. The Staff awards are a real highlight for our team as they recognise those who live our values – especially going above and beyond, and patient experience – and display a true commitment to our patients, community, staff, and wider organisation.

Long Service Awards 10 years

L-R: Val Archer, James Currie, Natasha Ellis, Yvonne Gemmell, James McGregor, Sylvia Morgan, Phil Padman, Mel Robinson, Maria Swain.

Not pictured: Anna Capewell, Eoin McCusker, Carolyn Phaipanya, Lucie Reece, Katie Stuart (Clark), Alex Shulamith, Emily Wynch.

15 years

L-R: Francis Denton, Brendon Harris, Caroline Marshall, Jessica Sanders.

Not pictured: Reece Buck, Nicola Gibson-Horne, Jackie Kingsnorth, Hannah Latta, Drew Luebke, Cameron Small.

20 years

25 years

WFA Values

Ross Gray

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Above and Beyond - Abi Basher

37 years Anita Halbert with WFA Chair Kerry Prendergast.

Act with Kindness - Paige Janssen

40 years Gary James with WFA Chair Kerry Prendergast.

Be Authentic, Chief’s Commendation Original and True - Wairarapa Brown Isi Funaki Shift

Keep Getting Better Together - Clinical Education

Lead by Example - Francis Denton

Peter MacPhail

Employee of the Year - Adam Stevenson Patient Experience Ross Weddell

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Awards and recognition

ExternAL awards

We’ve been so proud to receive external recognition for our work this year, including a COVID-19 Response Recognition Award certificate and medal from Prime Minister Rt Hon Chris Hipkins and being a finalist in the Wellington Airport Regional Community Awards.

We’re especially proud of our people who received awards. These awards demonstrate the dedication and passion of our team to always go the extra mile to deliver the best outcomes for our communities.

The Council of Ambulance Authorities 2023 Awards for Excellence We were thrilled to win two awards for excellence plus the top Star Award at this year’s Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA) Awards for Excellence: •

Excellence in Patient Care – The Case for Prehospital Telestroke.

•

Excellence in Mental Health and Wellbeing – The Review of Shift Pattern and Fatigue.

•

Star Award, given to the most innovative and groundbreaking initiative across all categories – The Review of Shift Pattern and Fatigue.

Australasia NAVIGATOR Dispatcher of the Year Each year, all the Emergency Communications Centres throughout Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand can nominate their Emergency Medical Dispatchers for a range of awards which recognise consistent excellent performance and remarkable skill, empathy, and professionalism – and Claire won the Claire prestigious Australasia NAVIGATOR Dispatcher of the Year award!

CAA Women in Ambulance Awards

Congratulations to...

Quality Assurance Lead Natasha and Intensive Care Paramedic Suze were acknowledged as honour recipients in the CAA Women in Ambulance Awards. These awards are designed to highlight successful and hardworking wāhine who are being championed as role models to the rest of the workforce in ambulance services across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

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General Manager of Operations, Eric (previously Superintendent Tibbott with New Zealand Police) received a Commissioner’s Commendation. This incredible honour recognises Eric for his skill, leadership and professionalism following the 2019 terrorist attack in Christchurch.

Natasha and Suze

•

Head of Emergency Ambulance Services, Kate for becoming qualified as an Australasian Road Rescue Organisation (ARRO) Assessor.

•

General Manager Fundraising and Communications Claire for being recognised as a Mover and Shaker by Fundraising and Philanthropy Australasia.

•

Shift Manager Chris and Community Liaison – Wairarapa Cheryl were awarded NEMA North Island severe weather event commemorative coins for their work during Cyclone Gabrielle.

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Looking to the future Nearly 100 years ago Sir Charles Norwood had the vision to create an equitable and accessible health service for the people of Wellington when he founded Wellington Free Ambulance.

Sir Charles believed that emergencies should cost neither lives nor money and it’s our privilege to honour that legacy as the only emergency ambulance service for Greater Wellington and Wairarapa.

Improvements in technology, changes in clinical practice, and access to medications as well as the needs of our community have influenced the service we’ve become.

Today, alongside emergency ambulance services, Wellington Free Ambulance also operates a clinical communications centre, provides a patient transfer service, and provides medical support at a range of events across our region.

The recently launched Strategy 2030 has been created to position Wellington Free Ambulance for the future. The six goals are reflective of the areas we must focus on to ensure our service, our people, and our organisation are prepared to meet the needs of our current and future community and workforce.

Kia ora te Tangata – Strategy 2030

1

Ngā Tauira Manaaki hei Whakaea i Ngā Hiahia o Ngā Tūroro

4

Toitū ā-Pūtea

Financial Sustainability

Models of Care to Meet Patient Needs

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2

He Ohu Mahi Akiaki me te Momoho

3

Mana Taurite

A Dynamic and Thriving Workforce

Equity

5

Tūāhanga hāngai ki te kaupapa

6

Ngā pūnaha me ngā kitenga atamai ake

$

Fit for purpose infrastructure

Smarter systems and insights

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Kia ora te Tangata

Our Vision

We are a trusted and reliable ambulance service providing excellence in emergency response and connected services that move our communities to better health.

Our Values

Our puRpose

Wellington Free Ambulance exists to deliver an ambulance service that excels in emergency response and clinical communications underpinned by proactive partnerships to deliver equitable health and wellbeing outcomes for our community.

Kia ora te Tangata Patient & Kaimahi at the centre

Maunga

Maunga

protection, guidance, model of care

support, sustain, provides systems

–

Te Tir iti –

flows throughout

–

Eq

uit

fl ow y–

s

t ou h ug thro

a

Whenua

a

Aw

Aw

protection, guidance, workforce WFA

Credit: Yvonne Gemmell

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All our team enjoyed Easter treats, including our Flight Paramedics!

An interactive simulation exercise at the Emergency Services Expo 2023, Te Papa

Sunset captured by Patient Transfer Officers Alex and Ross

Blair at New Zealand Police Dog Section hosted Kate, Claire, and Katie to meet the latest pup-cruits

Ready for any medical needs at this year’s Island Bay Festival

Saying thanks to our Wairarapa community who have supported the Wairarapa Station build so far with our site open day

Claire and Rachel at the official opening of the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport with Minister for Sport & Finance Grant Robertson

Please help us continue to be there for you when you need us – donate online.

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Porirua Station captured by graduate paramedic Join our online Phoebe community

The WFA team at Golf Day 2023

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