SA Ambulance puts out tenders for private ambulance patient transfer to fix ramping

The state government will look for private ambulances to transfer some patients under part of its plan to “fix” ramping.

State government efforts to “fix” ramping include a new tender for private ambulance patient transfers.

The SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) has put out the tender for private patient transfer services to operate across the metropolitan area and also country areas for non-emergency work.

SAAS had contracts with private operators under the previous Liberal government but this is the first such tender under Labor. SAAS came into being in 1993, after earlier services were run by volunteers.

The tender says the services must be available 24/7 but would only be called in on an “ad hoc” basis according to demand.

An ambulance at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Vehicles would be subject to SAAS infection control and cleaning standards, carry equipment specified by SAAS and patients will be “accompanied and directly supervised during transport by a patient transport officer at all times” the documents state.

“The contractor accepts all responsibility for ensuring the ambulance attendance, conveyance and handover of all patients allocated by SAAS.”

The three-year contract is due to start from December with two options of 12-month extensions.

Its objectives include “Allow SAAS to devote resources to core emergency work” and “frees up hospital beds for other patients.”

The private providers would provide services including:

TRANSPORT patients from hospital to home or another medical facility on hospital discharge;

TRANSPORT to and from medical appointments and hospitals;

NON-EMERGENCY transport to cover peaks in demand that cannot be efficiently managed by non-emergency crews or deferred to another time.

A SAAS statement says: “SAAS has for many years utilised private medical transport to support non-emergency medical transportation during periods of high demand or when a specific need is identified.

“All private providers engaged by SAAS are licensed by SA Health to provide non-emergency transport and are part of an approved panel contract that is updated every five years.

“SAAS is currently working on renewing this procurement panel to ensure the continued availability of private resources on an as-needed basis.”

Ambulance Employees Association state secretary Leah Watkins said she would have been “alarmed” by the tender but is reassured by a government announcement last month it would trial more patient transfer officers within SAAS.

“We are working to keep services within government, and that was the government’s commitment, but this is an extension of an arrangement that existed — we are reassured that more funding has been announced for patient transfers crews in SAAS,” she said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said: “This Labor move highlights very clearly the magnitude of ramping in our state, the pressure it is placing on our health system and the strain it has on our patients and paramedics.

“The fact is you are more likely to be ramped under this Labor government than at any point in our state’s history. That’s not what south Australians voted for.”