Code red: Delays to upgrades of Ambulance Victoria systems the last thing state needs

Vital Ambulance Victoria projects have been botched, deepening a state wide paramedic crisis that is seeing ‘code reds’ declared.

An Ambulance on standby at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Picture: David Crosling

Victoria’s ambulance crisis is being exacerbated by a series of botched upgrades to Ambulance Victoria systems, it has been revealed.

Critical staff shortages coupled with a surge in demand for emergency services has seen ambulance response times blowout to record levels.

Twice this month Ambulance Victoria has been forced to issue a ‘code red’, meaning it had exhausted the ability to meet demand.

Now the Herald Sun can reveal that three separate information and communications technology projects aimed at improving services have been hampered by delays and management issues.

One, to replace an outdated roster management system, is currently under review.

Another, which was to improve systems so that “critical information can be provided to paramedics when they need it”, is now under threat “due to identified defects” in testing.

A third, which formed part of the recommendations in the Mental Health Royal Commission, has been indefinitely postponed pending review.

Details of the botched project have been published on the government’s IT Dashboard website.

Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said the projects, particularly the update to the rostering system, were critical to easing pressure on the service.

“Our members in the AV rostering department are responsible for filling paramedic shifts across the state,” he said.

“But the system they are using is as old as Sputnik and regularly crashes which makes it incredibly difficult to roster crews to their shifts.

“They really need a modern IT system that allows them to have full visibility of available staff and vacant shifts.”

Ambulance sources have revealed the problems with the current system mean shifts regularly go unfilled, leaving areas of Melbourne without coverage.

“For paramedics, the future will be in connecting them to other health services so they can refer patients to other pathways such as telehealth instead of transporting every patient to hospital. But this won’t work without reliable technology,” Mr Hill said.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier slammed the botched project upgrades.

“Victorians in need have been let down by the State Government’s botched upgrades to Ambulance Victoria, which have done nothing but wasted money, time and placed Victorians health at risk,” she said.

“The Andrews Government’s mismanagement means Victorian lives are being lost waiting for help that takes too long to come.

“The Victorian Liberal Nationals will build a new infectious diseases centre to take the load off our hospitals and ensure Victorians can access the healthcare they deserve.”

But a government spokeswoman said while the projects were designed to improve Ambulance Victoria services, “they would not have a direct impact on relieving pressure on the health system.”

“Since coming into Government, we’ve backed our paramedics with well over $1 billion in additional funding, and in the last year 700 paramedics have been recruited - the single largest recruitment in a year ever,” she said.