Watch live: St John Ambulance to hold press conference after record volume of 111 calls

St John Ambulance is set to hold a press conference this afternoon to address an unprecedented surge in emergency calls, having recorded the highest volume of 111 calls in its history over the past week. The service has been under immense pressure, with Saturday, August 8, seeing a record 2,562 calls – a figure that surpasses even the busiest days experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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All three days were busier than any recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic or on traditionally high-volume dates such as New Year’s Eve.

Doug Gallagher, director of ambulance operations at Hato Hone St John, will speak at the media event about the "sustained heavy demand" impacting the emergency ambulance service. He noted that the daily record for calls has been broken three times this week alone. The service received 15,268 calls by Sunday afternoon, putting it on track to exceed the previous weekly record of 15,289 calls set just last week. Gallagher highlighted that this level of demand is highly unusual, especially for a weekend, and shows no signs of easing.

In response to the overwhelming workload, St John has declared a major incident and activated its Emergency Operations Centre. This proactive measure aims to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to maintain safe and effective patient care. However, the service acknowledges that individuals with less urgent conditions might experience longer wait times. They advise people to call again if their condition worsens and note that some callers may receive clinical advice or be directed to alternative healthcare services instead of an immediate ambulance response.

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Saturday is not normally our busiest day, so this level of demand is highly unusual.

Ambulance personnel are also assessing and treating suitable patients at home or referring them to other providers to help manage the strain on emergency departments. Gallagher reassured the public that emergency ambulance help remains available and that the service continues to respond to those in need. The situation underscores the critical need for robust emergency services to cope with exceptional demand, prompting closer coordination with Health New Zealand and hospital partners to prioritize patient safety.

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Our first priority is patient safety.