Lifting/loading patients and health and safety

In the interests of occupational safety and health, hospitals should arrange suitable personnel to assist with the lifting, loading or unloading of patients in and out of ambulances:

• Where there is no suitable structural amenity such as a ramp;
• When the ambulance staff member clearly cannot manage the patient;
• When a specific device such as incubators or aircraft stretchers with bridges are used.

DHB requesters must provide the approximate weight of the patient when ordering through the PTS Customer Portal or via phone call to the Health Transport Operations Centre.

A bariatric patient is recognised as a patient whose weight and/or dimensions exceed the normal operating range of the available stretchers. It is important that these transfer requests are uniquely identified and planned well in advance. A request for a specialist transfer of a bariatric patient should be made no less than 48 hours before the required time and is provided on a best endeavours basis.