Ambulance union heads to court over ramping and rosters
Complaints about ambulance ramping, rosters and more will be on public show this week when the ambulance union takes its woes to court, warning “lives are at risk.”
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Union to go to Tribunal over ramping
- Get the most from your Advertiser digital subscription
- Patient spends 440 days in hospital
Longstanding tensions between the Ambulance Employees Association and the SA Ambulance Service will be aired in public this week in the SA Employment Tribunal.
The case was brought by the union, which says issues in dispute revolve around safe staffing including response times, lack of meal breaks, excessive overtime and ramping.
The first four days will be taken up with the union presenting its case including “volumes of documents and data, and examination/cross-examination of our witnesses,” according to union industrial officer Rob Leaney.
“AEA state secretary Phil Palmer will be in the witness box (today) and will be giving testimony about how it got to this, to set out all the AEA’s concerns, and speaking to data about the impact the under-resourced ambulance service is having on patient safety and risk to lives,” he said.
“Evidence will also be given by paramedics and communication staff about the impact on them and their patients of the chronic understaffing, and of ramping.
“They will be talking about ‘the lived experience’ and we have quite a tale to tell, and it will be there for all to see, including the Government’s response.”
The issue comes amid differing messages on staffing and public safety.
New SAAS data shows ramping fell by 20 per cent, to 1213 hours, in January compared to December, and by 35 per cent compared to the record high in September.
Treasurer Rob Lucas said SAAS had employed an extra 160 full-time equivalent staff since early 2017 while SA Health chief executive Dr Chris McGowan said: “South Australia leads the nation in code-one ambulance response times, and initiatives including GP-led Priority Care Centres, more home care, a major investment in southern suburbs hospitals and plans to divert up to 200 non-life threatening triple-0 calls a day to services apart from ambulances will soon show tangible results.”
Meanwhile posts on official union social media sites aimed at Mr Lucas by health workers are turning nasty, including one on the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Facebook site from January 23 following Mr Lucas’ comments on public service job security stating: “Wait until he or colleagues are in hospital hmmm revenge will be sweet.”
Mr Lucas said: “I think most South Australians would be appalled to read these sorts of threats and attempts at intimidation – you can have differences of opinion on industrial relations but these are clear threats.”