Concern over P-platers driving ambulances and paramedic science students employed as medical attendants

P-PLATERS are driving ambulances in Victoria as private operators use clapped-out vehicles with more than 300,000km on the clock in a scramble to cut costs.

P-PLATERS are driving ambulances as private operators use some vehicles with more than 300,000km on the clock.

The novice drivers are being put behind the wheel by contractors engaged under state government contracts to take non-emergency cases.

But those services are, at times, used to cover urgent jobs when they are first on the scene or where a patient’s condition worsens on the road.

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Novice drivers are being put behind the wheel by contractors engaged under state government contracts to take non-emergency cases.

And since the Andrews government’s ambulance reforms, non-emergency attendants have told the Herald Sun they are being sent to more serious cases — such as elderly people who have broken bones or patients with acute pain — as a crutch to improve Ambulance Victoria’s response times.

Allegations of contractors forced to drive aged vehicles and use below-par equipment have also emerged.

After being contacted by the Herald Sun, the government ordered a review and promised tougher penalties on operators flouting the rules.

P-platers have worked for National Patient Transport, filling the role of transport officers, while university students studying paramedic sciences are also employed as medical attendants and drivers for the non-urgent vehicles.

Allegations of contractors forced to drive aged vehicles and use below-par equipment have also emerged.

The P-platers have driven vehicles carrying patients and helped paramedics on jobs that can turn into emergencies.

“It’s just not enough experience,” one paramedic said.

Ambulance Employees Union general secretary Danny Hill said it was work that should only be performed by the fully licensed.

“You may have to upgrade to lights and sirens. It’d be horrifying to be on board knowing a P-plater is driving lights and sirens,” Mr Hill said.

The private services help free up Ambulance Victoria to cover the higher-level jobs.

Ambulance Services minister Jill Hennessy. Picture: AAP

Opposition health spokeswoman Mary Wooldridge said it was unacceptable Victorians “who urgently need an ambulance are being told to take taxis, having their transport vehicles break down or have staff who are unqualified to deal with their health issue”.

Ambulance Services minister Jill Hennessy said a re-­elected government would conduct snap audits to ensure vehicles were up to scratch and had proper safety equipment.

“When corners are cut and equipment isn’t replaced, patients and staff are put at risk. We’re fixing that and we’re cracking down on those who flout the rules,” she said.

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