St John NT attrition rate highest in nation: One in five paramedics left service in 2023-24
One in five NT paramedics left the ambulance service in 2023-24 — the NT News has spoken to ambos on the ground to discover why. Read the details.
Northern Territory
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One in five St John NT paramedics left the ambulance service in 2023-24 — more than double the attrition rate of the next highest jurisdiction ACT.
Paramedics speaking on condition of anonymity told the NT News this was due to a toxic work culture, distrust between senior management and crews, the trauma of experiencing daily violence and facilities that are “beyond a joke”.
“St John NT is not a place people want to be,” one ambo told this masthead.
However St John management says the high rate is due to the “unique challenges” the Territory presents, including “the highest per capita demand”, a smaller workforce and many paramedics leaving the NT to return home.
Last year was challenging for the organisation, with the ambulance service’s failures laid bare in December with a leaked report into clinical governance that raised “serious concerns”.
By the end of the year, members of the union representing paramedics, the United Workers Union (UWU), issued a formal vote of no-confidence in the organisations executive.
Ambos on the ground said these events and more, explain why so many of their colleagues are leaving.
Toxic workplace and distrust
One paramedic likened the workplace to a dying tree.
“It’s like a tree with no leaves,” they said.
“The branches and trunk are slowly dying from poison within.
“I go to work depressed every day — I hate it.”
Paramedics detailed what they said was a breakdown in trust between crews and senior management, with an organisational culture they said silences criticism.
“People are very fearful to speak out against an organisation that will punish them,” one paramedic explained.
“Senior managers are completely out of touch with the reality crews face.”
“Why would you work for an organisation that you have no trust in?” another paramedic said.
Violence and abuse
“The constant dealing with violence, abuse and drunkenness takes its toll,” a veteran paramedic said.
“I’ve been punched, bitten, spat at, I've had a rock go through a vehicle window that I’ve been in.
“There’s been several incidents where we’ve had to escape.
“These situations are getting worse.”
It is no secret NT paramedics are subject to almost daily violence, with 140 paramedics experiencing serious physical or sexual violence in the 12 months between October 2023-24.
“A lot of paramedics are getting to a point where they’re either looking for other employment or prepared to retire altogether,” the veteran paramedic said.
Paramedics even identified certain areas they no longer feel safe entering, having to wait for police backup which rarely arrives on time.
Workload and facilities
Crews in Darwin reported the worst workload and facilities.
One paramedic described the Casuarina headquarters as “beyond a joke”.
“They are no longer fit for purpose,” they said.
“At Casuarina we’re tripping over ourselves, same with Parap — there is no room to expand.
“Crews take breaks in a small room with a couple of creaky lounge chairs and a mouldy ceiling.
“It’s not good for morale.”
They pointed to the Katherine facilities as the benchmark.
Added to this were workforce pressures.
“We are grossly under resourced leaving crews stretched everyday,” one paramedic said.
“Recruiting is not an issue — universities spit out more graduates than jobs,” another paramedic said.
“The issue is retaining — St John NT is a bad employer and people leave a bad employer, not a bad job.”
St John NT’s response
St John acknowledged the high attrition rate, which they said was due to the “Territory’s unique challenges”.
“The Northern Territory has the highest per capita demand for ambulance services in the country, and that demand continues to grow year on year, which reflects our resourcing issues and demand outstripping capacity,” chief executive Andrew Tombs said.
“This sustained pressure, combined with the Territory’s unique challenges, is impacting workforce retention.
“Our people work incredibly hard in difficult conditions, and we understand that without additional support, the strain becomes unsustainable.
“According to RoGS, St John NT responded to 251.1 incidents per 1000 people in the NT, an increase of 6 per cent from the last financial year and continuing to remain significantly higher than the national average of 164.8.
“St John NT acknowledges that we have the highest attrition rate in Australia, we find it difficult to recruit and retain staff, particularly with other ambulance services recruiting to increase their operational capacity, which provides avenues for those staff who moved to the NT to return home.
“Added to this, our crews face way too much violent and aggressive behaviour from members of our community, adding to the workload pressures of increased demand, understandably contributing to staff morale and their desire not to stay in the NT.
“I am incredibly proud of the work of all St John NT staff and volunteers in some of the most challenging conditions in Australia and working to resolve our funding and capacity issues.”
It is important to note the Productivity Commission, who collate and report the data, did indicate a possible factor in the NT’s high attrition rate.
“The relatively high attrition rate in the NT can be attributed to a relatively small workforce and some graduates returning to their home state on completion of their internship,” a footnote read.
However paramedics United Workers Union NT secretary Erina Early believes the high attrition rate at St John NT is the result of a” deeply entrenched and systemic failure to support, protect, and value paramedics.”
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