SA ambulance service again under extreme strain again as 18 ambulance crews off

SA’s ambos were again under extreme strain overnight with 18 crews off – forcing one woman to spend 12 hours on a stretcher after a heart attack.

South Australia’s ambulance service was again under extreme strain overnight, with 18 ambulance crews as well as emergency call takers and solo response vehicles all left unstaffed.

Among patients left waiting over the weekend was a Mount Gambier woman who reportedly spent 12 hours on a stretcher at the Royal Flying Doctor Service hangar in Adelaide after she suffered a heart attack.

The Ambulance Employees Association said the SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) had declared a “level one incident” across metropolitan and fringe metropolitan areas, alongside the Operational Status White, which means “patient safety is directly impacted”.

The situation was caused by Covid-related staff absences, high winter workload and ramping, the union said.

Of the ambulances that were operational, many only had a single paramedic able to provide limited solo response capacity.

Health Minister Chris Picton said “there’s no doubt that last night was a very difficult situation for our ambulance service”. He said SAAS on Sunday morning reported 85 staff currently away from work due to Covid, while more than 600 staff across the health networks are currently furloughed.

Health Minister Chris Picton said “there’s no doubt that last night was a very difficult situation for our ambulance service. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Naomi Jellicoe

“We have seen the number of staff, right across our health services who are contracting Covid going up, as the whole of the community is facing that at the moment,” he said.

Mr Picton said SAAS was taking urgent action to address the situation, including cancellation of all internal training and calling on the private sector to help with low-acuity patient transfers. There are also 32 ambulance graduates who will start work on Monday.

Addressing reports a woman from Mount Gambier spent 12 hours at the RFDS hangar in Adelaide on Friday evening, he said “it’s not acceptable but it’s a sign of how under-pressure the ambulance service is”.

“I’ve been to that service, they have an exceptional facility in Adelaide where they essentially a mini-hospital area of their service where they can treat people who are coming in on planes from across regional South Australia,” Mr Picton said.

A SAAS spokeswoman said the agency has a “very collaborative relationship” with RFDS and every attempt is made to ensure patients experience seamless transfers between health facilities.

“But inevitably, in this complex space, lining up aircraft and ambulance service capacity can be challenging, with SAAS prioritising life-threatening emergencies at all times,” she said.

“Where RFDS is contracted to provide transfer of a patient, their highly-skilled nurses will provide ongoing care.”

On the staffing situation, the spokeswoman said “it is always distressing for our staff and our patients when we experience periods of immense pressure”.

“SAAS is currently experiencing high demand for services, prioritising the most urgent cases so they can get help as quickly as possible,” she said.

“Where appropriate, those with less serious health conditions should consider alternative care options before calling Triple Zero (000).”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said Mr Picton should be “focused on delivering immediate solutions”.

“Labor promised South Australians they’d fix ambulance ramping, but on their watch figures show it’s the worst it’s ever been,” she said.

“Our health system is utterly overwhelmed this winter and the buck stops with Peter Malinauskas and this government.”