Crisis management seeks a solution; possible scenario if the paramedic fails to arrive.

In the Rhein district, hospitals are currently grappling with extreme overcrowding in their emergency rooms. This situation, according to Dr. Zellerhoff, the medical director of the rescue service in the district and a senior physician at Grevenbroich hospital, has not resulted in any patient harm so far.

Dr. Zellerhoff, who has been serving part-time in both roles since 2016, underscores the importance of good cooperation between doctors, hospitals, and the rescue service to tackle the challenges facing the medical care system in the district. He emphasizes that all parties involved in the rescue chain must work together to address these issues.

One of the main challenges is the shortage of trained personnel. This issue extends to the out-of-hours GP service (116 117), which has been experiencing staffing shortages, causing patients to call the emergency number (112) instead. Additionally, due to the lack of personnel, the entire fleet of emergency vehicles in the district is not always utilized.

To alleviate some of these issues, the five-year rescue service demand plan includes the acquisition of three more patient transport vehicles and one emergency ambulance. However, the plan does not address the staffing shortages in the district.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Zellerhoff remains enthusiastic about working in the rescue service. He describes it as an interesting, varied job with many positive experiences and opportunities to help people. His long-standing career in the field, which began in 1991, is a testament to the potential for a rewarding career in the sector, despite the challenges it presents.

The Rhein-Kreis Neuss district maintains 19 emergency ambulances, ten patient transport vehicles, and five mobile medical teams. However, the continually increasing number of deployments, attributed to demographic changes and patients using emergency services due to long wait times with their primary care physicians, is a growing concern for the strain on medical care in the district.

This increase in deployments has led to patients being transported to hospitals outside the Rhein district, which costs time and increases with the continually increasing number of deployments. There are also concerns about inadequate medical care due to the overcrowding in the emergency rooms of hospitals in the district.

Dr. Zellerhoff's focus remains on staffing as the key issue for the rescue service in the Rhein district. He continues to work tirelessly to improve the situation, promoting the benefits of a career in the rescue service and advocating for better cooperation between all parties involved in the medical care system in the Rhein district.