More money is needed to keep ``vital'' Primary Response in Medical Emergencies (Prime) services going and a current review does not go far enough on funding, say rural medical centres that provide the service.
Total funding for the service, which sees rural medical centres providing initial emergency care in communities distant from ambulances, was not in the scope of a review by the National Ambulance Sector Office, but the sector steering group assisting the review is recommending the Ministry of Health and ACC add it.
Submissions on a draft review document issued in January closed yesterday.
Prime services are funded by the Ministry of Health and ACC, and administered by St John.
Medical centres that provide Prime services say they generally have to fund part of the service, which they consider vital for their communities, and are concerned the review is looking to redistribute the funding rather than increase it.
Sarah Creegan, a doctor at the Waimate Medical Centre, said the future of the service was precarious if its funding was not increased.
The amount of funding was not enough to cover the costs of training, equipment and medicine needed to deliver the service.
``The business owners have to pay for it. I go out at 2am and someone is having a heart attack. I'm losing money if a nurse goes out. I don't have to do Prime; I choose to do it because I live in the community.''
Kurow Medical Centre practice manager Juliet Gardner said Prime was always under threat as it was not financially viable for rural practices. However, her practice had no intention of axing the service.
``We get funding through ACC which includes a basic contract rate.
``Although accidents are well funded, the medical funding is poor, which makes the service difficult to justify financially. But she warned against just redistributing funding.
Outram Middlemarch Medical Services nurse Leeann Barnes hoped the review would result in better legal protection for Prime staff out in the field delivering certain kinds of medication.
Sometimes it was not appropriate to call someone to ask permission to deliver a medication.
She said there was no ambulance in Middlemarch so she and one other Prime nurse, Steph Macaulay, were the community's response. The closest ambulance for that community was Mosgiel.
Twizel Medical Centre general manager Alison Smith agreed the funding model needed to be changed.
``Funding needs to be addressed, but it needs to take into account the difference between remote rural practices and rural practices that are 30 to 40 minutes from a city. Funding's a large part of the picture that to date has not been addressed.''
A review report would be finalised once its steering group considered final feedback.
The recommendations would then be handed to the ministry and ACC for consideration before a final report would be made public.
