SA Ambulance Service overhauls how it deals with 000 calls to end ramping outside hospitals
The SA Ambulance Service will completely overhaul the way it deals with 000 calls, which it expects will finally fix the chronic problem of ramping outside hospital emergency departments.
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Up to 200 people a day who call for an ambulance for non life-threatening issues will be redirected to other services in a landmark move to end ambulance ramping at hospital emergency departments.
SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) chief executive David Place told The Advertiser the move was the “biggest game changer” to address the ramping crisis.
The reconfiguration by SAAS will put the paramedic focus firmly back on genuine emergency cases. About two-thirds of cases which end up waiting in hospital carpark ramps are low urgency cases.
A new clinical telephone assessment service means patients with low acuity conditions will be transferred from initial call takers to highly experienced paramedics to advise or refer to an alternative care provider such as a GP, a GP-led Priority Care Centre or home care with services such as the Royal District Nursing Service.
The phone paramedics will still dispatch an ambulance if deemed necessary.
The service is expected to launch mid-year after a $1.6 million investment was finalised this week to install specialised telephone triage software to help judge severity of calls.
Fourteen new paramedics are expected to start in coming weeks with the program.
Mr Place said up to 200 patients a day would be able to discuss their condition with specialised paramedics before a decision was made about how best to respond to their needs.
“This will tailor solutions to individuals,” he said. “It is the biggest game changer for a while. This initiative is about supporting patients to get the most appropriate care but also about supporting our staff.
“Clinical telephone assessment will free up capacity to ensure ambulances are available for emergencies and ease pressure on busy EDs across the state.
“Our Emergency Medical Dispatch Officers who answer all triple-0 (000) calls will continue to dispatch an ambulance to everyone who needs one, however we know that not every call requires an immediate lights and sirens emergency response.”
Mr Place said clinical telephone assessment was a “fantastic way for us to understand what are sometimes complex conditions”.
“For the first time, it gives us an opportunity to work with each patient to decide how best to provide the right response,” he said. “Diverting a patient away from an Emergency Department and towards more appropriate care in the community is a major win for the patient, for our hospitals and for our ambulance crews.”
The launch follows the successful introductions of similar services in Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and New Zealand.
SAAS responds to more than 800 incidents every day.
Ambulance ramping has rocketed at hospitals in the past year, with low priority cases facing long waits as more urgent cases arrive and are given priority. This in turn results in ambulances and their crews stuck in hospital car parks.