SA Election 2022: Labor pledges $120m for new ambulance headquarters to combat hospital ramping

Labor has unveiled its plans for a state-of-the-art control centre it says will finally put an end to SA’s hospital ramping crises.

A new SA Ambulance hub in Adelaide’s CBD would include a state health-control centre to combat hospital ramping as part of a $120m Labor vow to help fix waiting times.

In a plan for a state-of-the-art ambulance headquarters to be unveiled on Sunday, Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas will promise a new emergency operations centre, CBD ambulance station and the health-control centre.

This would replace SA Ambulance’s headquarters on Greenhill Rd, Eastwood, which Labor says is cramped, significantly run down and fails modern emergency services building standards.

The operations centre would be boosted by 15 emergency medical dispatchers, costing $5.9m over four years, which Labor says would help ensure timely responses to triple-0 calls.

Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Inside the SA Ambulance triple-0 call centre at Eastwood. Picture supplied by Labor.

Labor says Adelaide’s first CBD ambulance station, which would be combined with the new ambulance service headquarters, would stop suburban ambulance crews responding to city calls getting gridlocked. The city station would house two extra 24/7 crews – a total of 32 paramedics – equipped with four ambulances.

The health control centre, inside the new headquarters, would co-ordinate movement of patients across all hospitals and services, identify problems early and work with hospital staff to fix them. Staff would come from local health networks and the ambulance service.

Mr Malinauskas accused the Liberals of letting ramping escalate to record levels, leaving patients stuck in ambulances outside emergency departments.

“Labor will give SA Ambulance what it needs, new state-of-the-art infrastructure, technology and equipment, to help South Australians get emergency care when they need it – and to help fix the ramping crisis,” Mr Malinauskas said.

A retreat room at the SA Ambulance HQ, for people taking a break after traumatic triple-0 calls. Picture supplied by Labor

Premier Steven Marshall on Tuesday responded to questions about ongoing industrial action by paramedics by highlighting that the wage and conditions dispute was now before the SA Employment Tribunal.

“We are the best-funded per-capita ambulance service on mainland Australia,” he said.

“We haven’t been able to reach an agreement with the union, so we’ve sent it off to the independent umpire.”

The SA Ambulance Employees’ Association has repeatedly told stories of patients suffering, even dying, while waiting hours for an ambulance or outside hospitals.

A union campaign document last October demanded the urgent construction of a new triple-zero communications centre to replace the current 42-year-old building. Also last October, the State Government issued a tender to refit the Ambulance Service headquarters in a project due to be finished in mid-April.