‘Absolutely drained’ Hills ambos call for extra crews as Covid strains existing resources

Providing critical care in emergency situations is becoming near impossible, SA paramedics say, with claims up to 30 shifts go uncovered amid an escalating Covid crisis.

Hills paramedics say it’s becoming almost impossible to provide critical care in emergency situations because they are being left under-rescoured and drained amid a growing Covid crisis.

Hundreds of ambulance shifts have been left unstaffed across the region since borders opened on November 28, prompting renewed calls for at least an additional three crews at Mt Barker.

Speaking to ABC Radio Adelaide on Thursday morning, Hills paramedic Nick Brockhoff said ambos were stretched to the max with critical under-resourcing putting lives at risk.

“Covid in particular has had a draining effect on the ambulance service since the borders opened,” he said.

“I’ve been led to believe that we’ve had nearly 200 shifts that have been uncovered across the Adelaide Hills and that encompasses the volunteer stations that do a great job in supporting us but are stretched way too thin.

“As well as career ambulance crews in Mt Barker, Stirling, Wooside having no crews at all...ambulances (are often) locked in the shed for 14 hours at a time.

“The system is under so much strain. We’re absolutely drained.”

Woodside paramedic Nick Brockhoff (right) with fellow Hills ambos and Kavel MP Dan Cregan. Picture: Dan Cregan

Mr Brockhoff’s comments follow a tweet by the Ambulance Employees Association which revealed 13 emergency ambulances had been left unstaffed across Adelaide on Wednesday.

“Every day ambulance staff are getting text messages with often 20 or 30 uncovered shifts across the state (asking for) anyone willing to do any shift – anywhere, anytime,” Mr Brockhoff said.

“I know of day shift crews a couple of weeks ago that got asked to stay back an extra three to four hours at the end of their shift after a very long day ... as there was no night shift to come in at all.

“We need hundreds more ambos across SA. We need another three or four crews at Mt Barker immediately. We need to be able to protect the public.”

When asked about the 13 ambulances taken off the road on Wednesday, Premier Steven Marshall told the ABC Radio the state would weather the storm of Omicron.

“We’ve flexed up our capacity within our hospitals, we’ve got very good testing we’ve got very good quarantine arrangements in South Australia and of course we’ve also got excellent co-operation of the people of SA to get vaccinated,” he said.

“So I’m very confident that we’ll be able to get through this by working together, that’s what we’ve shown and proven at different outbreaks that we’ve weathered before.”

A petition by Kavel MP Dan Cregan calling for more ambulance crews is also gaining momentum with almost 3000 signatures collected.

“This is a critical issues in the Hills. After nearly four years of arguing with the government over the basic right of my community to have at least a second ambulance, I felt I needed to speak out,” Mr Cregan said.

“If I didn’t become an independent and speak out on this issue, I would have been putting the interests of a party and ideology ahead of the safety of everybody in my community.

“I am not prepared to do that.”

You can sign the petition here.