Call for national paramedic standards

A coroner has called for national guidelines for ambulance paramedics after the death of a patient wrongly assessed as having a tummy bug.

Melfyn Wynne-Williams was found dead less than 24 hours after Wellington Free Ambulance staff failed to check his vital signs before leaving him at his Berhampore home in December 2006.

Two paramedics left the house after telling Mr Wynne-Williams about the "current virus going around" and advising him to rest and take Panadol. He died after an abdominal rupture.

Wellington coroner Garry Evans has written to the Health Ministry urging it give early consideration to the establishment of national standards for paramedics.

At an inquest, Mr Evans said that checking Mr Wynne-Williams' vital signs – especially his blood pressure – could have led to a better assessment of whether he should have gone to hospital.

Parliament's health select committee – which is reviewing "chaos" in the ambulance service – will examine the coroner's recommendation.

Green Party MP Sue Kedgley, who chairs the committee, said she was ecstatic that the issue would finally be addressed.

"The situation is a mess at the moment and we need to turn that around and make it into a first-class service," she said.

"One of the problems with the sector is it is so fragmented.

"It is incredible that paramedics are not regulated. The standard seems to vary around the country and a guideline needs to be locked in.

"They are not getting the training and support they need. Many are working 90-hour weeks and are exhausted."

There are four major ambulance services provided nationwide – Taranaki and Wairarapa district health boards, St John and Wellington Free Ambulance – but each works under different guidelines.

New Zealand ambulance union spokesman Craig Page supported having national guidelines but said more work was required to achieve change in the sector.

Ambulance service providers currently developed their own education and clinical guidelines, which created an inconsistent service, he said.

"There are inadequate financial resources allocated to these areas, with too much left up to the individual paramedic to maintain competency," he said.

Wellington Free Ambulance service had changed its "treat and leave" policy. Now a patient needed to sign a form to indicate that they had refused treatment.