Hon Craig Foss
Associate Minister for ACC
20 August 2014 Media Statement

ACC funding boost for ambulance services

Associate ACC Minister Craig Foss today announced a $9.2 million boost to emergency ambulance services which will improve service response times, increase the number of frontline paramedics and provide better tailored patient care.

ACC is moving to a new bulk funding model and is increasing their contribution to emergency ambulance services from $53.9 million in 2013/14 to $63.1 million in 2014/15.

“At the moment ACC has a fee-for-service system where ambulance services invoice ACC for each accident related injury where they transport the patient to hospital, regardless of whether they need to go there,” Mr Foss says.

“Under the new funding model St John and Wellington Free Ambulance will be better able to plan the provision of the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

“New Zealanders will ultimately receive better and faster quality healthcare and St John and Wellington Free Ambulance will receive greater certainty of revenue.

“It will also see the ambulance services providing a greater role in supporting ACC in the work it does such as falls prevention, and improving outcomes for people with spinal cord injuries.”

Mr Foss, who has ACC Ministerial responsibility for the New Zealand Ambulance Strategy, says ACC is working with the Ministry of Health, National Ambulance Sector Office, St John, and Wellington Free Ambulance to implement the new funding model.

The new funding starts on 1 December 2014.

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