Wellington Free Ambulance / Who We Are / Our People

WFA Paramedics

The role of a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic is to provide potentially life saving skills in a timely and efficient manner. These skills are often utilised under highly stressful conditions, and in most cases there is both an urgent need for treatment and a requirement to get the patient to definitive care.

Wellington Free Ambulance currently employs 108 full-time paramedics, with an additional 35 volunteer paramedics on staff. Our paramedics are trained to a high clinical level, with opportunities to advance in specialist areas such as urgent community care, off-road patient recovery/rescue, aero-medical medicine and mass casualty incident management.

A paramedic works in 'cycles' - each cycle consists of two day shifts of 7am-6pm, followed by two night shifts of 6pm-7am, followed by four days off.

The paramedics of Wellington Free Ambulance are the heart and soul of the organisation – their skills, passion and professionalism are what allow us to provide such a vital service for the people of greater Wellington. They need your support so they can continue to make a difference to the local community.

Paramedic Education and Training

Wellington Free Ambulance has a strong emphasis on continuing education of our professional ambulance staff. In partnership with Whitireia New Zealand, Wellington Free Ambulance Education Service delivers the BHSc (paramedic) degree and the Postgraduate Certificate in Specialty Care – Advanced Paramedic Practice.  A postgraduate certificate for urgent care practice is also planned.  Students from throughout New Zealand graduate with an ambulance qualification and are ready to be employed by the sector.

An Intern–Trainee Paramedic scheme complements the degree programme in developing the future ambulance workforce. Intern Trainee Paramedics work alongside experienced and qualified ambulance paramedics while at the same time studying toward ambulance qualifications and gaining invaluable operational and clinical experience.

Wellington Free Ambulance Service employs ambulance officers at the following levels:

Transfer Service (PTS) staff are initially trained in Core Skills and Ambulance Driving.  The Core Skills learning is equivalent to the first module of the National Diploma in Ambulance Practice, a level five diploma which is delivered to experienced PTS staff and Events Medics who are ready to challenge a recognised qualification in paramedic practice at Basic Life Support (BLS) level.   PTS officers do not routinely respond to emergency calls;

Events Medic volunteers are initially trained in Core Skills and Ambulance Driving.  The Core Skills learning is equivalent to the first module of the National Diploma in Ambulance Practice, a level five diploma which is delivered to experienced PTS staff and Events Medics who are ready to challenge a recognised qualification in paramedic practice at Basic Life Support (BLS) level.   Events medics are deployed to provide first aid cover at public events, working alongside higher grades of paramedic when required;

Emergency Ambulance Paramedics are employed at three grades:  Basic Life Support (BLS), Intermediate Life Support (ILS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS).  Authority to Practice (ATP) is delegated by the Medical Director.  In order to attain ATP at these grades, paramedics must have completed education as follows:

BLS:  National Diploma in Ambulance Practice (level five), or evidence of achievement at this level during year two of the BHSc (paramedic) degree;

ILS:  BHSc (paramedic) year three, or Wellington Free Ambulance ILS Pathway internal qualification;

ALS:  Postgraduate Certificate in Specialty Care – Advanced Paramedic Practice, or near equivalent.  Known as Intensive Care Paramedics (ICPs), they administer a range of resuscitation drugs and perform a range of patient care resuscitation skills including transcutaneous pacing, endotracheal intubation, chest decompression, cricothyroidotomy, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), capnography, intra-osseous infusion and prehospital thrombolysis

All paramedical staff are assessed each year through a continuing medical education programme and clinical skill revalidation. This verifies continuing ATP;

WFA Management Team

Chief Executive - Alan O'Beirne

Executive Manager - Clinical Services - Sarah Hoyle

Executive Manager - Corporate Services - Sarah Lewis

Executive Manager - External Relations - Ross Cameron

Executive Manager - Service Development & Delivery - Andy Long

Manager - Community Care and Patient Delivery - Robert Ives

Manager - Emergency Care - Peter Cain

Team Manager Operations (TMO) - Peter Collins

Team Manager Operations (TMO) - Glen Worthington

Team Manager Operations (TMO) - Kate Worthington

Team Manager Operations (TMO) - James McMeekin

Clincial Education & Training Manager - Todd Mushet

Clinical Effectiveness Manager - Mark Bailey

Emergency Preparedness Manager - Andy Parr

Finance Manager - Melanie Cotterill

Fundraising Manager - James Craw

Medical Director - Dr Andy Swain

Procurement, Property & Logistics Manager – Hanelie Lategan

Quality & Risk Manager - David Packwood

Service Development Manager - Paul Fake

WFA Board of Directors

An incorporated society, WFA has its own board of management, operating under a constitution which was revised in 2001. The full board meets at six weekly intervals. This board also maintains several sub-committees, which include Finance Audit & Risk, Human Resources and Marketing.

As at 1st September 2011, The Board of Directors for Wellington Free Ambulance are:

Ross Martin: Chair (Joined WFA: 2007)

Ross is a chartered accountant and a graduate of the Stanford University Advanced Management programme. He is currently the chairman of Fullers Group, a trustee of Wellington Zoo and holds a number of other directorships.

For 17 years Ross was chairman and CEO of Stagecoach Asia Pacific, where he headed the successful expansion from 180 buses in Wellington to over 2,350 buses, ten ferries and 7,000 employees in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong.

Ross believes that Wellington Free Ambulance has a vitally important role in the life of Wellingtonians. ‘I’m involved because I want to play my part in ensuring that its services remain “free” and of the highest quality.'

Rose Anne MacLeod: Deputy Chair (Joined WFA: 2010)

Rose Anne has extensive financial skills gained in both the public and private sectors in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Rose Anne graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (B Com) from Auckland University in 1980, has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction from Massey (1993) and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2001. She is a Chartered Accountant, Fellow Certified Practising Accountant of Australia and an alumni of the Harvard Business School.

After working in the New Zealand Treasury, Rose Anne was recruited to work in financial management reform for the State Government of Victoria and was later appointed Chief Financial Officer for Medibank Private, Australia’s largest health insurer. In 2002 she returned to New Zealand to take up her appointment as Chief Financial Officer for the Ministry of Education. In 2006 Rose Anne joined Victoria University as a Senior Fellow and was recently appointed the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Finance, Strategy and Information Technology) at Massey University.

Rose Anne grew up in Katikati in the Bay of Plenty and has two teenage sons.  Ms MacLeod said she is looking forward to helping Wellington Free Ambulance build a strong and financially sustainable future.  “Wellington Free Ambulance delivers an essential emergency service to the people of Wellington.  It’s an iconic organization and I’m looking forward to being part of it".

Bill Day, JP (Joined WFA: 1999)

Previously CEO of New Zealand Community Trust and manager of group corporate relations for Westpac Bank, Bill currently holds chairman roles with Life Flight Trust – of which he has been a trustee for 25 years – and the Wellington Hospitals & Health Foundation. He is also a board member of the Shakespeare Globe Theatre Trust, director of Niloc (2005) Ltd, a marriage celebrant and Justice of the Peace.

Bill conceived and instigated the formation of the Society of Air Rescue Trust and the charity gaming association. He has held directorships in a number of other charitable trusts and companies.

According to Bill, ‘Representing the Life Flight Trust on the Board of Wellington Free Ambulance is both an honour and a privilege. It’s an honour to be involved with a Wellington Icon Service and a privilege to help the members of our community who need the valuable services of New Zealand’s only free ambulance service.’

Cathy O'Malley (Joined WFA: 2005)

Cathy has been the CEO of the Wellington Independent Practitioners Association (WIPA) and the Wellington Maternity Project (MATPRO) for the past 14 years. Since the establishment of Compass Health, she is also the acting CEO for eight lower North Island PHOs. Most recently, Cathy was appointed to the executive management team of the Capital and Coast District Health Board.

Prior to moving into the health sector in 1992, Cathy spent ten years working in the voluntary sector for the YMCA and as a management consultant. Cathy says she joined the Wellington Free Ambulance board for two key reasons: one is simply that she was very keen to part of such a great service, and the other is that she is an advocate of the potential for ambulance services to become more integrated with the rest of the health sector response.

Kathy Ertel (Joined WFA: 2010)

Peter Allport (Joined WFA: 2010)