‘Phantom station’ misleading rural residents: Union

The union representing Territory paramedics says a Top End ambulance station is providing “false assurance” to rural residents.

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THE union representing Territory paramedics says the Humpty Doo ambulance station is providing “false assurance” to rural residents.

United Workers Union NT spokeswoman Erina Early said the centre, which was described by a paramedic as a “phantom station”, misled rural residents.

“It’s basically providing a false assurance to the people who live in the Humpty Doo area,” she said.

“They think that they’ve actually got a paramedic crew base to Humpty Doo which they don’t. They just start and finish there and that’s it. They’re not there during the day.”

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Ms Early said the NT government needed to intervene and inquire about St John NT’s staffing. St John NT holds the contract for the Territory’s ambulance service.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the emergency services landscape in the rural area had changed significantly in the last few years.

“A lot has changed since the opening of the Humpty Doo Ambulance Station in 2016 – including the delivery of the 116-bed Palmerston Regional Hospital under the Territory Labor government,” she said.

“The Palmerston Regional Hospital Emergency Department dramatically changed the way emergency situations in the Palmerston and rural areas are managed.

“As the Minister for Health I take feedback from our frontline seriously. I have a close working relationship with St John, I meet with them regularly and they know they can raise matters such as this with me.”

Opposition deputy leader Gerard Maley said paramedics’ concerns about the Humpty Doo station were worrying.

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“Territorians in the rural area deserve the same level of service and response times as Darwin and Palmerston,” he said.

“It’s incredibly concerning paramedics in the rural area don’t feel they’re being provided sufficient staff and resources to do their job effectively and efficiently, which could ultimately have a flow-on effect to response times and worker fatigue.”

He said paramedic staffing levels should adequately reflect workload and workers should be properly resourced.

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