The Ambulance Team
The Health NZ/ACC Ambulance team commissions emergency ambulance services to help New Zealanders get the emergency care they need.
Pātiki and Waharua Kōpito patterns
On this page
What the Ambulance team does
The Ambulance team provides strategic leadership for the emergency ambulance sector. We commission emergency ambulance services on behalf of Health NZ and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
The Ambulance team is involved in several areas.
- Planning and commissioning emergency ambulance services and providing monitoring and oversight across the sector.
- Working with providers and the wider health and emergency services sectors to ensure emergency ambulance services contribute to better and more equitable health outcomes for Māori.
- Working with funders and providers to resolve issues, improve services, and find system efficiencies.
To get in touch with us, send an email to: ambulance@health.govt.nz
Calling 111 for an ambulance
To call an ambulance for an accident or medical emergency, dial 111 and ask for an ambulance. The phone operator will ask questions to make sure you get the help you need.
- Urgent, life-threatening situations such as cardiac arrest and serious injuries are the highest priority for ambulance services. If the operator assesses your situation as potentially life-threatening or urgent, they will get an ambulance to you as fast as possible.
- If an ambulance is the best help for you but your situation is not potentially life-threatening or urgent, the ambulance may not arrive immediately.
- If there is going to be a delay, the Ambulance Communications Centre will call regularly to check on how you are and see if things have changed. If things get worse, they will give you advice and may increase the priority of your case.
- If your condition is not life-threatening in any way, a health professional may call you back to talk through your symptoms. They might help you make an appointment with your doctor or recommend ways that you can look after yourself.
For more information about what happens when you call 111 visit the St. John Ambulance and Wellington Free Ambulance websites.
Anyone can call Healthline free on 0800 611 116 for health advice and information, anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s emergency ambulance services
The Ambulance team contracts providers to deliver these services across the motu. Providers employ trained ambulance per and skilled volunteers. Air ambulance service providers also employ aviation crew.
New Zealand’s emergency ambulance service has three main parts:
- Road ambulance
- Air ambulance – this includes helicopters and planes
- Communications centres – these answer 111 calls, provide clinical advice to people calling 111, and send out ambulances
Road ambulance
Wellington Free Ambulance covers Wellington, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa. Hato Hone St John covers the rest of New Zealand.
Air ambulance
The aeromedical service is made up of air ambulances (both helicopters and planes), associated road ambulance transfers, hospital services and clinical coordination.
Air ambulance and patient transfers by helicopter
- Northern Rescue Helicopter Ltd
- Central Air Ambulance Rescue Ltd
- Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Ltd
Air ambulance and patient transfers by plane
Read our generic service agreement for air ambulance service providers.
Communications centres
The three communications centres in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all work together as a single virtual centre. The virtual centre includes a clinical hub to provide clinical advice and the Air Desk, which organises air ambulance helicopters.
PRIME Services
The Primary Response in Medical Emergencies (PRIME) service aims to ensure timely access to high quality pre-hospital emergency treatment in areas that don’t have ambulance services nearby, or where it may take longer than usual for an ambulance to arrive.
Hato Hone St John manages PRIME responders to support the ambulance service in rural and remote areas.
PRIME is funded by Health NZ for health-related services, and ACC for injury-related services.
Funding
The Government and ACC provide most of the emergency ambulance funding.
Emergency ambulance services for medical patients are funded by Health NZ and services for injured patients are funded by ACC. The rest is funded through donations and fundraising, and Hato Hone St John charges a small part of the cost to medical patients who use an ambulance.
Read the Ministerial press release regarding improvements to the rotary wing fleet:
What we expect from our providers
Standards and accreditation
Standards and accreditation
Emergency ambulance service providers are required to meet certain standards and maintain appropriate accreditation. These include:
- NZS 8156: 2019 Ambulance, paramedicine and patient transfer services
- ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management Systems
- The New Zealand Aeromedical and Air Rescue Standard V3.0 2018 (for air ambulance providers)
- Relevant regulations (for air and road ambulance providers)
- Certification by the Civil Aviation Authority (for air ambulance providers).
Paramedic registration
Paramedic registration
Te Kaunihera Manapou Paramedic Council is responsible for paramedic registration. Its job is to protect the health and safety of the public by making sure that paramedics are competent and fit to practice.
Find out more about paramedics and paramedicine on the Paramedic Registration Council website.
Performance reports
Performance reports
Emergency ambulance service providers must report to the Ambulance team regularly against key performance indicators. This enables us to track performance, identify any issues, and make informed decisions about how to improve services.
Adverse event reporting
Adverse event reporting
Most callers and patients receive excellent care from ambulance service providers. Occasionally, something bad happens that impacts a patient’s care or outcome. These are called ‘adverse events’, which are logged and reported to the Ambulance team.
Emergency ambulance providers assign all adverse events a Severity Assessment Code (SAC) rating to determine the severity of the event. The provider notifies the Ambulance team within five working days of a SAC1 or SAC2 event.
Find out more about the SAC rating and triage tool on the HQSC website.
Prior to July 2017, the Ambulance team published a summary of adverse event reports from emergency ambulance providers. Adverse event reports for 2013-2017 are available here .
Since then, emergency ambulance providers are expected to provide a publicly available summary report on their website.
You can find some of their reports here:
- Wellington Free Ambulance - Adverse events
- Hato Hone St John – Adverse events
- Helicopter Emergency Medical Services - Reportable Events
- Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust - Reportable Events
Aeromedical Commissioning Programme (ACP)
The Aeromedical Commissioning Programme aims to transform Aotearoa New Zealand’s air ambulance system to improve patient and community health outcomes. The vision of the Programme is for equitable access to a high-performing aeromedical service that is safe, sustainable, and integrated to deliver excellent care.
The Programme is the second phase of the long-term reconfiguration of air ambulance services in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The Programme is guided by the Whakataukī: I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho - A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.
ACP Clinical and Technical Advisory Group
The Clinical and Technical Advisory Group (CTAG) is made up of representatives from across the aeromedical sector.
The group provides technical and clinical expertise, advice, and support to those working on the ACP.
The group provides oversight from across the aeromedical sector, advocates for efficient and effective outcomes and best practice, and champions the ACP.
Clinical and Technical Advisory Group – Aeromedical Commissioning Programme
ACP Newsletter
Sign up to the newsletter by sending us an email at airambulanceteam@tewhatuora.govt.nz.