Murchison residents have been vocal about wanting to keep their ambulance service and they have been heard.
After consultation with St John Ambulance they not only keep their ambulance, they will have two additional ambulance officers.
For Murchison and District Community Council chairman, Simon Blackmore, this was very good news, having previously thought they were going to lose their existing service.
“It’s quite a turnaround from what we were dealing with at the beginning of February. It’s really good news to see they have listened to the community,” says Simon.
The two new ambulance officers will join the two existing ambulance staff and the current nine volunteers in Murchison to ensure the ambulance is always double crewed.
A dedicated rural support officer will also be appointed to work alongside volunteers and the new ambulance officers to build confidence and provide additional resilience for the transition into this new service delivery model.
“This has been a genuine consultative process. We have engaged and listened to feedback from our people, health and emergency stakeholders and the community, and we believe this outcome will provide a safe and effective ambulance service in Murchison and the surrounding area,” says St John Tasman District operations manager, James McMeekin.
James said the decision also considered the geographic isolation of the township, the distance from the nearest alternate ambulance, and the risk of poor outcomes due to response delays, particularly in inclement weather.
St John will provide an emergency ambulance 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm each day. Overnight, the ambulance will be crewed by volunteers and supported by local doctors or nurses when available.