Currently, we are experiencing extremely high demand for ambulance services across Aotearoa with our workload over the last week being the highest we have ever seen.
While high demand over winter is not unusual, the current call volumes are well above what we would expect during this period due in part to the number of patients with viral respiratory illness, but also a general increase in other incidents.
The increase in demand is impacting both our 111 communications centres and our ability to respond with emergency ambulances. Callers to our 111 communications centres may experience a delay before their call is answered, and we may not be able to send an ambulance immediately - so we ask the public to only call 111 for genuine emergencies.
If people are feeling unwell, or need health advice, we are asking for them to call their regular health provider or Healthline and consider alternate methods of transport to medical facilities for non-urgent conditions.
If it is a life-threatening emergency, please still dial 111 for an ambulance.
If the condition is not immediately life-threatening, there may be a significant delay in our response due to the high demand for our ambulance service.
We are asking the public of Aotearoa to remind themselves of the importance of self-care over winter, ensuring they take regular medications, and keep on top of illness before they get worse.
For further information on the current situation, please read our latest press release.