Maeve

The ambulance crew have no idea what they're facing until they get to the scene of a collision.

Like mine that night, it was horrendous.

There was a fatality.

Do you know what I'm saying?

Whereas hospitals are very well briefed by the medical profession in the ambulance service to what they're bringing to A&E, what to expect, what they think the patient needs.

I mean, I think they need a little bit more recognition than what they're getting.

And that's coming from somebody whose life depended on them.

Well, I wouldn't say they're being used as pawns.

I mean, there has to be a stage where they have to take a stand.

From my understanding, is there 46% of the National Ambulance Service still working today, going to critical care calls, you know, time critical calls out there?

I mean, to me, they have to take a stand somehow.

And if this is their only way of being heard, well, so be it.

And maybe through this, that they will understand how critical their work is in our community right across the nation.

I don't believe that it would ever resort to that.

I think I know they are working at half capacity is my understanding.

However, they are there to answer all urgent calls that are time critical.

They are answering calls.

They have units on in every station to answer calls.

So I don't believe so.

Well, look, at the end of the day, you have a dispatch unit there for a reason and they grade the calls accordingly.