Ambulance Union alarmed over ‘unmanageable workload’
Victorian paramedics had to travel more than 50km to treat a baby in respiratory distress over the weekend amid a shortage of ambulance crews across the state.
Paramedics had to travel more than 50km to treat a baby in respiratory distress over the weekend amid a shortage of ambulance crews across the state.
Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill told the Herald Sun that at least 29 ambulance crews were “dropped” on Saturday night, claiming that a shortfall of this size had not been seen since September last year.
Mr Hill said one crew had to respond to a Kinglake baby in respiratory distress from 50km away while a mobile intensive care ambulance (MICA) in Dandenong was the closest to an unconscious patient in Ivanhoe given there were no MICA crews in Melbourne’s north.
There was also a delay for a patient who fell off a 5m balcony in Gippsland, he said, because there was only one MICA crew for all of the region after resources were dropped across Wonthaggi, Morwell, Warragul and Sale.
Mr Hill said police were also required to transport a patient with mental health issues to Maroondah Hospital as no ambulance was available.
While 29 crews were dropped, he added that several others were operating with one paramedic instead of two, limiting their ability to transport patients.
Mr Hill said Ambulance Victoria was relying on paramedics coming in on their days off to work additional shifts.
“When the workforce is working so hard they are less likely to volunteer for additional shifts. They need their days off to recover,” he said.
“This is the reality of having an unmanageable workload and running the workforce at red-line on every shift.
“When the workforce burns out or breaks, it’s ultimately the patients that suffer.”
An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said the organisation had “higher than expected levels” of short-notice personal leave on Saturday night.
“We have an agile and flexible rostering system which allows us to respond to periods of high demand or resourcing pressures,” she said.
