We see you!

“We R Not OK”

This was the message Canberrans were confronted with at the end of last year from our hard-pressed Ambulance Officers. It was a hard-hitting campaign from a worn-out group of people who throughout the pandemic have relentlessly and tirelessly served our community. But they had reached the end.

Just prior to this I had received an email detailing the long wait for an ambulance for an elderly patient. The elderly person, suffering significant health issues, experienced a cardiac event whilst out shopping. An ambulance was called immediately. But it took an hour and 5 minutes for the ambulance to arrive!

This is just one of many incidents, that I have become aware of since taking over the Shadow Emergency Services portfolio. The problem is of course not with the Paramedics, as we know only too well, they do an amazing job, but rather with the number of them that are employed to cover an ever-increasing workload. 

In support of the growing desperation faced by the Ambulance Officers, who passed a vote of no confidence to their leadership and the Minister, I presented a Motion to the Assembly. I called on the Minister to detail how he was addressing the shortages of the ambulance services, and in particular, their health and well being needs.

Today, I received the Minister’s Response to my motion in support of our Ambulance Officers. And it was full of the usual big dollar responses that we are getting tired of from this Government, but light on specifics. Especially about the increase in actual additional paramedics over the last 6 years.

And, I am sorry Minister, but Paramedics tell us differently, annual reports tell us differently, and all Canberrans know differently, which is why the Canberra Liberals voted no to last years and previous budgets. Not because we don’t want services, but because we do! We want to see money spent on health, housing, and essential services. Not on vanity projects, large unnecessary infrastructure items, and expensive consultants that take away money from essential services and that don’t improve matters in the ACT for our community.

Paramedics tell us that they have been waiting for seven years to see an improvement in their employment, rostering, and increased staffing numbers. Seven years! That is 6 years too many. So, I asked my staff to go back through the annual reports and see how many additional staff have been employed in the last 6 years. Note, this is not replacements, but additional. 

In the Minister’s response he did mention they had welcomed 56 members who joined the Service over the last 3 years. But these are not additional. And they do not address the rostering issues or staffing pressures faced by the Paramedics on the front lines. In fact, annual reports show that there have only been 34 additional new paramedics. The problem is of course there is a significant attrition rate in our Ambulance Services.

The ACT has the second highest attrition rate in Australia! According to the 2023 Report on Governments Services, the attrition rates in the ACT Ambulance Service is at 11.4%, almost double that of the next highest, WA at 6.5%! It speaks to the unsatisfactory work environment within the Service, which Paramedics attribute to long hours, poor rostering, and a lack of leadership support. No wonder the government is having problems with recruitment.

An 11 percent increase in incidents reported, an increasing number of callers not responded to, and the rising number of officers reporting PTSD. PTSD, Diabetes, inhibited mental performance, increase risk of injury and accidents, weight gain, depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue, are all consequences that are being faced by our paramedics who are working long hours without adequate breaks, holidays, and time off. Though most of the research on PTSD and other health problems has been done elsewhere, with no data available in the ACT. 

The Minister’s response is rather telling, with the only positive that he can mention is the ACT’s 000 response rate? Not that ambulances were sent out on time. Not that the funding had increased. Not that the government were focused on quality and safety of the provision of services (ACT is the only State and Territory in the country that does not measure sentinel events).

I think the ACT Paramedics of the Ambulance Service do an amazing job. But with regards to their workplace? There is a lot of work to be done, it continues to be an area of significant concern.