More ambulance volunteers urgently needed in regional SA
10 years, 4 months ago

More ambulance volunteers urgently needed in regional SA

ABC  

Ambulance officers say country people in South Australia may need to wait for an ambulance from a neighbouring town due to a shortage in staff and increased workloads. SA Ambulance Service general manager of northern operations Graham Denton said regional communities need more ambulance volunteers to avoid longer waiting times in an emergency. "A shortage of staff and increased workloads mean we cannot guarantee that if you call triple-0 from a town with an ambulance station, that an ambulance will respond from that town," Mr Denton said. "Towns right across the state are urgently seeking more ambulance volunteers to provide high quality emergency care for their local communities," he said.

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History of this topic

Residential aged care patient dies while waiting five hours for ambulance in Adelaide, union says
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Residential aged care patient dies while waiting five hours for ambulance in Adelaide, union says

ABC  

A patient at a residential aged care home in Adelaide's north-east has died while waiting around five hours for an ambulance, the state's ambulance union says. Ambulance Employees Association general secretary Leah Watkins said she understood the patient was initially triaged as a priority 3 case, which the South Australian Ambulance Service said had a target response time of 30 …

Ambulance Tasmania dispatch screen evidence of 'crisis' in health system, union says
1 year, 2 months ago

Ambulance Tasmania dispatch screen evidence of 'crisis' in health system, union says

ABC  

In short: The Health and Community Services Union has published a screenshot of a computer screen showing the Ambulance Tasmania dispatch system on Monday afternoon. The Health Department says the summer holidays have led to an increase in emergency department presentations and ambulance call-outs due to "injuries and illnesses linked to seasonal activities". Nine of southern Tasmania's 18-strong ambulance fleet …

SA Ambulance Service misses its target for reaching critically ill patients for the first time
2 years, 4 months ago

SA Ambulance Service misses its target for reaching critically ill patients for the first time

ABC  

South Australia's ambulance service has missed its own target for responding to patients in life-threatening conditions for the first time. Key points: The service failed to meet its target for responding to the most critically ill patients last financial year It is the first time it has happened The service aims to get to priority 1 cases in eight minutes …

St John Ambulance WA warns Perth residents to expect delays as demand surges
2 years, 9 months ago

St John Ambulance WA warns Perth residents to expect delays as demand surges

ABC  

St John Ambulance WA has warned Perth residents to expect delays in response times as demand soars and ramping continues at hospitals. Key points: St John linked the delays to ongoing ambulance ramping issues It is urging people in non-emergency situations to use other services It says it must focus on those in life-threatening situations St John issued a social …

Ambulance crews 'overwhelmed' as emergency patients left waiting for hours, union says
3 years, 2 months ago

Ambulance crews 'overwhelmed' as emergency patients left waiting for hours, union says

ABC  

Emergency patients across Adelaide were left waiting up to seven hours for an ambulance to arrive last night amid "overwhelming" strain on South Australia's health system, the union says. Key points: In one case, a paramedic drove their own mother to hospital when an ambulance didn't arrive, the union says The SA Opposition described last night as the "worst ever …

Premier apologises after scalded Adelaide toddler waits 51 minutes for ambulance during COVID-19 surge
3 years, 2 months ago

Premier apologises after scalded Adelaide toddler waits 51 minutes for ambulance during COVID-19 surge

ABC  

Paramedics took almost an hour to arrive to treat a severely scalded three-year-old boy during high demand for ambulances amid South Australia's COVID-19 outbreak. Key points: Nadia Coates's son was burned after pouring tea on himself on Monday She waited 51 minutes for an ambulance A SAAS spokesman said Monday was "an exceptionally busy day" Premier Steven Marshall apologised for …

Ambulances could face 'rationing' of paramedics because of COVID pressures, SA union says
3 years, 2 months ago

Ambulances could face 'rationing' of paramedics because of COVID pressures, SA union says

ABC  

South Australia's ambulance service could resort to new "disaster measures" because the state's health frontline is struggling to cope with the pressures of growing COVID case numbers, a union says. Key points: The SA ambulance union says paramedics could be paired with non-emergency ambulance officers It comes after other response measures including the use of student drivers, and police taking …

Students drive ambulances as health system grapples with COVID-19 staff shortages
3 years, 2 months ago

Students drive ambulances as health system grapples with COVID-19 staff shortages

ABC  

Health and aged care workers who are close or casual contacts of COVID-19 cases will be allowed to continue working in South Australia as growing case numbers, hospitalisations and long waits for testing build pressure on the health system. Key points: Health workers can now work while awaiting COVID-19 test results in SA Students have also joined the ambulance workforce …

St John Ambulance calls for 800 extra volunteers to cope with WA's reopening
3 years, 3 months ago

St John Ambulance calls for 800 extra volunteers to cope with WA's reopening

ABC  

St John Ambulance WA say they will need more than 800 new volunteers as Western Australia prepares to open its borders next year. Key points: St John Ambulance WA will launch a recruitment drive in January to try and attract 800 volunteers It is expected Western Australia's borders will open in 2022 Head of Country Ambulance Operations Justin Fonte expects …

Trainee paramedic reveals she cared for just ONE patient in 14.5 HOUR shift because of queues
3 years, 4 months ago

Trainee paramedic reveals she cared for just ONE patient in 14.5 HOUR shift because of queues

Daily Mail  

Faye Shepherd, who is on placement at South Western Ambulance Service, warned about the handover delays A trainee paramedic has revealed how she treated just one patient during a 14-and-a-half hour shift, in an example that lays bare the scale of the NHS crisis. It came as South East Coast Ambulance Service declared a 'critical incident' because of a 'significant' …

Patients put at 'high clinical risk' as ramping and patient surge hit South Australian health system
3 years, 5 months ago

Patients put at 'high clinical risk' as ramping and patient surge hit South Australian health system

ABC  

There were no ambulances for 17 high-priority emergencies in Adelaide's southern suburbs last night, putting patients at "high clinical risk", according to the paramedics union. "Until the Marshall Liberal government resolves these core capacity issues, we will continue to see ramping and delayed ambulance responses in the community." In June, Premier Steven Marshall said the state budget would "definitely" fix …

Rural Ambulance Services At Risk As Volunteers Age And Expenses Mount
3 years, 8 months ago

Rural Ambulance Services At Risk As Volunteers Age And Expenses Mount

NPR  

Rural Ambulance Services At Risk As Volunteers Age And Expenses Mount Enlarge this image toggle caption Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio Vern Greyn was standing in the raised bucket of a tractor in Dutton, Mont., trimming dead branches off a tree, when he lost his balance. Under current Medicare policy, federally designated critical access hospitals can get …

CFA captain pushes for fire fighter volunteers to help in medical emergencies
3 years, 9 months ago

CFA captain pushes for fire fighter volunteers to help in medical emergencies

ABC  

A Country Fire Authority station in north east Victoria is pushing for the volunteers' skills and equipment to be better utilised to help save lives during medical emergencies. Key points: The Kiewa CFA station wants to be a trial site to help administer First Aid to residents disadvantaged by long ambulance waiting times Kiewa captain says volunteers and equipment could …

Adelaide father's 'frustrating' two-hour wait for ambulance amid SA ramping crisis
3 years, 10 months ago

Adelaide father's 'frustrating' two-hour wait for ambulance amid SA ramping crisis

ABC  

An Adelaide father has told of his anguish after it took two hours for an ambulance to arrive after his son had a seizure yesterday, as South Australia's emergency healthcare system strains under high demand. Key points: Ambulances and emergency departments are experiencing high demand A boy had to wait more than two hours for an ambulance after having a …

SA Government and ambulance union reach agreement after dispute over staff numbers and rostering
3 years, 10 months ago

SA Government and ambulance union reach agreement after dispute over staff numbers and rostering

ABC  

A long-running dispute between the South Australian government and the ambulance union has finally been resolved. Key points: The SA government and paramedics have been in a dispute over staff numbers and rostering They have reached an agreement after mediation in the SA Employment Tribunal The Treasurer still wants compromise on meal breaks The two parties had been in mediation …

Upgraded ambulances for country volunteers in South Australia
4 years, 9 months ago

Upgraded ambulances for country volunteers in South Australia

ABC  

Regional areas in South Australia will start to see a new fleet of ambulances on their streets after the State Government announced that 32 of its 46 new vehicles will service country areas. Key points: 32 of 46 new ambulance vehicles will be sent to regional SA The ambulances are fitted with the latest safety technology to benefit crew members …

Paramedic without a partner or an ambulance says experience is 'not such a novelty'
5 years, 8 months ago

Paramedic without a partner or an ambulance says experience is 'not such a novelty'

ABC  

A social media post written by the only paramedic on duty in a Hobart suburb on Friday night — with no ambulance at the station — has characterised it as "just another day in the Tasmanian health crisis". Patient's relative forced to drive ambulance The Health and Community Services Union said it was aware that three of the six urban …

Ambulance union to take SA Health to court over increased workload
6 years, 1 month ago

Ambulance union to take SA Health to court over increased workload

ABC  

The union representing South Australian paramedics has launched legal action against SA Health and the SA Ambulance Service because of increased overtime and on call pressures. Key points: The union said it was the most extreme measure it could take Patient Horst Birvé was ramped for three hours at Flinders Medical Centre last month The union and the State Government …

Tasmanian paramedics struggling to cope with demand in system 'ready to snap'
6 years, 5 months ago

Tasmanian paramedics struggling to cope with demand in system 'ready to snap'

ABC  

Triple-zero calls are often a matter of life and death. "Say we get a car accident, you might get a whole bunch of people calling for a major incident, that's all the lines tied up," she said. "Sometimes they just have to wait until we get off the triple-zero to answer the other one," Ms Dunn said. "I am personally …

Volunteer SA ambulance service's struggle to fill rosters causing 'life-threatening' delays
7 years ago

Volunteer SA ambulance service's struggle to fill rosters causing 'life-threatening' delays

ABC  

Tony Pryde woke up with chest pains so bad last December, he couldn't even walk the few metres to his car. Dr Edwards said ambulance volunteers did excellent work, but gaps in rosters had reached "crisis point", especially across the Mid-North and Yorke Peninsula. "The bigger communities have got paid staff so they're not an issue, but there are a …

Regional ambulance staff shortage rallies resident fears
7 years, 7 months ago

Regional ambulance staff shortage rallies resident fears

ABC  

A plan to have more volunteers than paid staff at a rural ambulance station has raised fears of reduced care. "This town has never had an ambulance service before and on day one it is going to deliver paramedic-standard care," Mr Morgan said. "This town only at the moment has about three or four cases per week and so when …

Regional volunteer shortage affects SA emergency ambulance services
8 years, 5 months ago

Regional volunteer shortage affects SA emergency ambulance services

ABC  

Padthaway residents requiring emergency ambulance assistance may be forced to wait for ambulances to travel from neighbouring towns more than 50 kilometres away due to a volunteer shortage at the station. SA Ambulance regional team leader for the south-east, Ross Elliott said the area, in a busy farming district, needed at least four more volunteers to keep the station running. …

SA Ambulance Service holds state-wide volunteer recruitment drive as shortages cause delays
9 years, 6 months ago

SA Ambulance Service holds state-wide volunteer recruitment drive as shortages cause delays

ABC  

The South Australian Ambulance Service hopes a state-wide recruitment drive will help fill a growing void in its volunteer numbers. "Once they are fully trained they are an ambulance officer, they perform a full range of duties, responding to medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, sometimes just transferring patients from an aircraft to a hospital," Mr Place said. "Some metropolitan reserve volunteers …

Record ambulance ramping at WA hospitals
11 years, 9 months ago

Record ambulance ramping at WA hospitals

ABC  

The Health Minister Kim Hames has conceded a blow-out in ambulance ramping at Perth hospitals is a serious problem but says the State Government is not to blame. Last month, ambulances spent more than 1200 hours waiting outside metropolitan hospitals to admit patients. "And that means sitting down with staff inside hospitals and making sure our resources in our hospitals, …

Ambulance protest over more ramping
11 years, 11 months ago

Ambulance protest over more ramping

ABC  

In another protest about ramping of ambulances outside the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department, Adelaide paramedics are refusing to complete patient billing paperwork. The Ambulance Employees Association said 28 ambulances were affected outside Flinders between last Thursday and Sunday, some having a wait of almost two hours for their patients to be dealt with. Union official Phil Palmer said the …

More paramedics urged to cut ambulance wait
12 years, 6 months ago

More paramedics urged to cut ambulance wait

ABC  

The Ambulance Employees' Union says the Victorian Government needs to recruit more paramedics to reduce waiting times in country areas. The union's Steve McGhie says Ambulance Victoria and the Government are not doing enough to improve rural services. "It's widespread, we're seeing evidence right across the state that there are major problems cropping up in regard to delayed response times …

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