Paramedic shortages and ambulance delays laid to bare in new data from the 2023-24 financial year

Fresh data found 8700 paramedic shifts went unfilled over the past financial year. Tasmania’s peak health union reveals the impact the ‘unacceptable’ situation is having on staff.

Death of a male mountain bike rider at the Meehan Range. Tasmania Police and Tasmanian Ambulance service in attendance. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Ambulance crews took over an hour to respond to more than to 1000 emergency triple-0 calls in Tasmania over a 12-month period, new data obtained by the Greens shows.

Additionally, 8700 paramedic shifts went unfilled in the state for the past financial year.

Greens Health spokeswoman Cecily Rosol said pressure on ambulance crews and response times was getting worse.

“This is an unacceptable situation,” Ms Rosol said.

Greens Cecily Rosol. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

“Rather than getting an ambulance when they need it, Tasmanians are being left with dangerously long delays.

“Staff are doing everything they can, but there’s no way they can make up for the impact of more than one in eight shifts being empty.”

Minister Jo Palmer responded on behalf of the state government, saying they were conducting a significant paramedic recruitment drive and believed it was beginning to yield results.

“We don’t want to see anybody on a waiting list, which is why we’re throwing everything we have at this enormous recruitment blitz,” Ms Palmer said on Friday.

Figures obtained by the Greens show during the 2023-24 financial year, around 13.5 per cent of all paramedic shifts were vacant.

The previous year it was 10 per cent.

“There is no doubt that lives are being put at risk by the massive staff shortages in Ambulance Tasmania,” Ms Rosol said.

“And of course, this situation is also taking a huge toll on paramedics, communications staff, and dispatchers too.”

The Greens say the emergency incidents that took more than an hour to respond to were triple-0 calls verified by specialist Ambulance Tasmania staff as life-threatening and designated a critical priority.

HACSU State Secretary Robbie Moore. Picture: Linda Higginson

Health and Community Services Union Tasmania Secretary Robbie Moore said he was not surprised by the figures.

“This is the worst it’s ever been. We know that there’s still a lot of vacancies that haven’t been filled,” Mr Moore said.

“Because of shortages, it leads to more staff being stressed and not coming to work for different reasons.

“There’s multiple factors – it’s a reflection on the state of the ambulance service, the culture, and the lack of vision from the government to try and fix these issues.”

Ms Palmer said the government’s paramedic recruitment blitz was the largest the state had ever seen.

“We are searching far and wide, and we are seeing great results from that blitz,” Ms Palmer said.

However, Mr Moore said “the government is full of spin”.

“And the reality is they’re not putting on more paramedics; they’re just trying to keep up with those that are leaving.”

Originally published as Paramedic shortages and ambulance delays laid to bare in new data from the 2023-24 financial year