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The cost of joining the St John Ambulance subscription scheme is slightly more pricey in 2023 with a £59 annual fee for adults in Guernsey - but the organisation says it continues to offer reassurance against being charged hundreds of pounds if you need to call one out in an emergency.
Prices vary for children and older Guernsey residents, with separate charges for residents of Herm and Sark.
All are slightly up on the 2022 prices, with Guernsey’s St John Emergency Ambulance Service reminding everyone of the benefits of using the Ambulance Subscription Scheme as an insurance agains the full cost of its services.
The scheme gives members the assurance of 'free" ambulance responses, with primary assessment and treatment by qualified clinicians. An ambulance call out without a subscription will cost £420 next year otherwise, with an £81 paramedic charge on top.
Pictured: The 2023 charges for the St John Ambulance subscription scheme.
St John strives to remind people regularly that ambulances in Guernsey are not free, meaning anyone who isn’t a member of the subscription scheme and who doesn’t have adequate health insurance will be charged for an emergency ambulance call out.
The Emergency Ambulance Service in Guernsey is provided by St John on behalf of the States of Guernsey, through a grant from the Committee for Health & Social Care. The grant is a contribution towards the operating costs of the service, with the remaining costs being met in a variety of ways including the annual subscription scheme.
Chief Ambulance Officer Mark Mapp said the subscription fee has risen with the cost of living but still offers an insurance against the higher call out charges.
“St John has been unable to hold back applying the cost of living increases to our ambulance scheme for 2023. We have seen an unprecedented increase in medical inflation costs. The costs of running vehicles, equipment, medical consumables and insurances have all contributed to an overall increase in the costs of running a safe and effective service.”
St John Ambulance and Rescue board member Marc Farror added: “We want to avoid large, step changes in pricing and we can only do this if we apply small annual increases that reflect surges in our operational running costs.
"We recognise that even the smallest increase can affect household budgets, therefore we have for 2023 introduced the options to pay a subscription in four instalments over four quarters of the year.
"Joining the subscription scheme provides piece of mind, value for money and avoids a large bill in the unfortunate event of needing an ambulance.”
Pictured: Mark Mapp, Chief Ambulance Officer.
Subscription membership covers up to 25 ambulance journeys, including the attendance of an ambulance, assessment and treatment by a qualified clinician at the scene and/or conveyance to hospital for further care if required.
The 2023 subscription covers up to 10 non-emergency patient transfers booked in advance by a healthcare professional. It also covers Guernsey residents for the Flying Christine marine ambulance.
A separate Ambulance Subscription is available for residents of Herm at a cost of £86 and residents of Sark can join the scheme for an annual charge of £140 per individual.
Visitors from outside the Bailiwick can join the visitors subscription scheme which costs £59 per individual and covers a 3 month period.
Anyone who is not a member of the Ambulance Subscription Scheme and would like to join for 2023 can do so online.
Renewal emails and letters for existing members were sent out during November and anyone with an existing direct debit should have had their membership automatically renewed.
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