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St John set up an emergency operations centre in Auckland on Wednesday to coordinate ambulance resources nationally, Oh says. “Last week was our busiest week in Canterbury in the last 10 years,” he said. Ohs said St John set up an emergency operations centre in Auckland on Wednesday to coordinate ambulance resources nationally, so paramedics could respond immediately to critical patients. “That s something we would typically stand up in a major emergency.” The centre would operate for a week before St John decided whether to extend it, Ohs said.
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According to data provided by the Canterbury DHB, the average wait time to see a doctor during the week of July 5 was 48 minutes – the longest wait time recorded in at least the last five weeks.
Emergency centre set up as St John experiences unprecedented demand
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St John experiencing unprecedented demand for ambulance services
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St John sets up Emergency Operations Centre as record demand hits ambulance service Newshub 17 hrs ago Mark Longley © Video - Newshub Image - Getty Images HEALTH RSV outbreak: Hawke s Bay Hospital extremely busy as virus continues spreading throughout New Zealand
Unprecedented demand on the St John Ambulance service has forced it to set up an Emergency Operations Centre, something it would only normally do during a major emergency.
St John also issued a plea for people to only use the 111 service if it is an emergency.
Hospitals and healthcare systems across New Zealand are under pressure, partly due to an outbreak of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, among children.