News

Street Hospital treats us on Thursday Nights

10/09/2013

Filmed over three months, Street Hospital is a 10 x half hour factual series on TV2 and will be on air from Thursday 12^th September. It is in a high rating, prime-time slot at 8pm.

“It’s a fast paced, action packed, immensely entertaining show with a lot of heart and humour,” says series producer Jane Robertson. “The Wellington Free Ambulance Street Hospital medics are a wonderful on-screen presence and the heroes of the series.  Some of the public call them Angels of the Street.” 

Gibson Group’s committed documentary teams followed a dedicated team of WFA Event Medics and Paramedics as they worked at the frontline of Wellington’s busiest party street, Courtenay Place.

The series is supported by New Zealand on Air and focuses on the attempts of Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) to treat those suffering from alcohol related harm, dancing injuries and other mishaps as well as more serious conditions in Wellington’s party central. Patients are treated in situ in Courtenay Place and the inner city precinct, in the weekends and during big events, over the summer months of 2012/13.

For Series Director Tom Reilly, joining the Street Hospital medics on their beat was an inspirational experience: “Following this team of young paramedics was a journey of a lifetime. They're all high-functioning professionals by day and at night they're volunteering their time to help in the community,” he says. “They deal with trauma and death with genuine heartfelt care. They're real-life heroes. As a director I couldn't have asked for more."

“Each episode contains several different stories and shows how the Street Hospital team are making a vital difference to the city, using an innovative set of protocols, walking the streets on foot patrol and treating patients at the place of injury.Their work is challenging, often comical, frequently frustrating and sometimes life-saving,” says Jane.  “And it makes great television.”

The medic’s goal is to un-clog the Emergency Departments by treating people on the spot at their ambulance triage base on Courtenay Place.

"There's no street in the world like Courtney Place on Friday and Saturday night. Party people come from all over the country and round the world to party hard and casualities are inevitable, so the work these paramedics are doing is vital,” says series director Tom.

The series also shows how the WFA Street Hospital team works with Police, licensed establishments, door staff and City Council Walk Wise staff, in an attempt to reduce harm and in turn, allow others to have a fantastic time.

The research behind Street Hospital is drawn from Wellington DHB ED doctors, WFA Paramedics, HPA research, ACC research review and the World Health Organisation information showing the impact of alcohol related harm.