By Nathan Beaumont and Kay Blundell
The Dominion Post
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A revamp of the ambulance service will mean thousands of patients can be treated in their homes rather than be taken to strained hospital emergency departments.
Under a pilot scheme started by Wellington Free Ambulance, patients with complaints such as shortness of breath, injury from falls, back pain, minor infections, earache and asthma will be treated at home by paramedics or referred to a GP.
The two-year pilot scheme started in the Kapiti Coast on Monday. If successful, it could be introduced across the country.
The initiative follows concerns about a lack of GPs in Kapiti, the distance between Kapiti and Wellington Hospital, and medical service cutbacks at Kenepuru Hospital in Porirua.
Wellington Free Ambulance estimates the scheme will mean 5300 fewer patients a year will be taken to the region’s two hospital emergency departments in Wellington and Lower Hutt.
“While this doesn’t mean the 111 call was unnecessary or inappropriate, it does mean the response to that call could have been better suited to the patient’s need,” the ambulance service says.
A new computer system, also being trialled, will allow paramedics to send patient information, including videos, to GPs, Plunket and nurses.
The scheme would allow paramedics to determine the best level of patient care, whether it be on-site treatment, referral to a healthcare provider or transport to hospital.
The ambulance service says emergency departments are under increasing pressure and are overcrowded.
Waiting times had steadily increased for non-urgent patients and there were reports some had to wait up to nine hours to be seen. “GP services are stretched and many doctors are closing their books to new patients. As a result, more and more people are forced to rely on an increasingly stretched hospital emergency resource.”
Wellington Free Ambulance spokesman Andy Long said Kapiti ambulances could be tied up for several hours responding to a 111 call and taking the patient to Wellington Hospital. “It is a cracking new service, providing patients with immediate care. We see it as a future potential national model.”
A Wellington Hospital spokesman said it was a great idea. “Not only will it avoid unnecessary trips to the hospital but it is also a good move for patients who can be treated quickly at home with minimal disruption. It will help keep emergency departments for emergencies.”
The pilot scheme, which will cost more than $200,000, is being funded by Capital and Coast District Health Board.
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