Three-hour wait for emergency care

An ambulance that waited three hours outside North Shore Hospital before a patient could be admitted to emergency is 'by far the worst wait we've experienced' says a St John medical adviser.

St John northern region medical adviser Dr Tony Smith says it's a problem with all three Auckland hospitals but the three-hour wait at North Shore Hospital was by far the worst ever and 'it's happening more frequently than in the past'.

"It puts pressure on our staff and managers when you don't have an adequate fleet because a quarter of your ambulances are tied up sitting at the hospital," says Dr Smith.

Three of their ambulances waited more than two hours and the others more than an hour.

"We feel more than a half-hour is unacceptable.

"The problems are complex and there is no easy simple fix. It impacts on the quality of care people receive."

One patient refused to wait any longer and left the ambulance against advice from the officers, says Dr Smith.

St John has a fleet of 28 ambulances that cover the Auckland region.

Dr Smith says ambulances had to be called from other areas within Auckland to cover the shortage on the North Shore.

"It creates several risks - getting the patient to hospital in a timely manner and not being free to get another."

Dr Smith says the ambulance officers were 'frustrated but understanding'.

He says St John 'is working with all three DHB's to minimise the impact on patients'.