Uncertainty over future of Te Kūiti ambulance services

Uncertainty is swirling around the future of Hato Hone St John’s Te Kūiti station after a union boss said 24/7 services will be axed - while St John have said they remain “committed” to the Waikato town.

Mark Quin, division chairman of the New Zealand Ambulance Association, told the

Waikato Times he was aware of proposals to relocate staff from Te Kūiti to either Ōtorohanga or Te Awamutu.

“So there will no longer be a permanent 24/7 ambulance based out of Te Kūiti and the people of Te Kūiti will have to rely on ambulances coming from [Ōtorohanga or Te Awamutu] or being deployed there while on coverage”.

“As a union we are quite concerned as St John has not been covering ambulances and the crewing of ambulances when staff are sick or on annual leave.”

Quin said he believed the proposed changes would commence from June.

He said that St John had “been advising GPs in the Te Kūiti area of this change”.

He also said he believed the proposals were part of a “further reduction of services in the provincial and rural areas and not being able to guarantee an emergency medical service day or night within the contracted response times as set out by Health NZ in its contract with St John”.

He also said there were wider issues about recruiting, and retaining, staff in rural locations.

However, Hato Hone St John Waitomo area operations manager Craig Scott said they remain “committed to providing ambulance services in Te Kūiti and the surrounding communities”.

“There are no existing plans to close down Te Kūiti’s ambulance station,” he said.

“Hato Hone St John will routinely assess how we deploy resource, and how we attract and retain staff, around different regions throughout the country to ensure we are best serving our communities.

“It’s important to us that we continue to be available for the people of Te Kūiti in a way that achieves the best patient outcomes.”

Scott said that while St John “may socialise ideas with the goal of improving various aspects of our service provision... these ideas may not result in material changes if they are deemed not to meet those aims”.

Quin, however, said he was “standing by the fact they are proposing to remove permanent staff from Te Kūiti”.

“That means the closest 24/7 ambulance station with crew based from that ambulance will be Te Awamutu and Taumarunui”.

Hato Hone St John have claimed their Te Kūiti station will remain open, but a union boss has cast doubt on that. Inset, Mark Quin, chair of the NZ Ambulance Association.