About Us

As a 111 call taker, his role is to gather all information necessary to determine what has happened, so that the best response for a patient can be formulated.

“Call takers provide instructions over the phone to stabilise and care for patients until our ambulance crew arrives - this includes everything from controlling bleeding, to childbirth and CPR,” says Nick.

Sometimes an ambulance is needed, in other cases patients are referred to a nurse or a paramedic on the Clinical Desk to talk more about their symptoms and what is happening for them.

“It's important for the public to know that the information we collect and the questions we ask really do help us respond to them in the quickest and most effective way.”

Since COVID-19 the nature of calls have changed noticeably, with more people calling with concerns about breathing issues or other flu-like symptoms.

Nationwide restrictions under Alert Level 3 and 4 also saw a marked decrease in traumatic injuries, as people were less likely to be undertaking activities like playing sports or driving cars.  

Nick says there is still so much to learn about his job and the learning never stops as processes improve and healthcare evolves.

“I've been in this role for almost four years and remain as enthusiastic about it now as I did when I started.”

Nick was recently recognised by Wellington Free for achieving 60 exceptional high compliant reviews in a row, a feat never celebrated before. To achieve top marks, the call has to be perfect, with no deviations from processes and procedures, even minor ones. Huge congratulations to Nick.