‘Incredibly hard’: Ambulance Tasmania records busiest month ever

Tired and stressed paramedics are struggling to stay afloat as the Tassie team records its busiest month ever, averaging 300 calls a day. THEIR CALL FOR HELP >>

AMBULANCE Tasmania has had its busiest month ever, averaging 300 calls a day and paramedics are tired and stressed, their boss says.

The chief executive of Ambulance Tasmania, Joe Acker joined new Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff at the refurbish Dodges Ferry ambulance station which provides a 24/7 service.

Mr Acker said staff were working “incredibly hard” to cope with the increased demand which he believed had been largely due to Covid.

“All of us, including healthcare professionals, especially are tired by Covid,” he said.

“It’s been two years. The PPE the demand for services is fatiguing, its stressful for everybody and it’s stressful for our paramedics.

“Normally we would do about 260 patient contacts a day but our average in March is 300.

“We do believe it’s Covid. A lot of the patients had respiratory complaints or chest pain complaints which align with what we see with Covid, but we’re seeing an increase in mental health cases, we’re seeing an increase in falls.

Joe Acker of Ambulance Tasmania. First day on the job for new Premier Jeremy Rockliff with an event at Dodges Ferry Ambulance Station. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“So partly it is, I think, the restrictions that have come off over time people are more active people are more open about and that’s generating some increasing call volume.

Mr Acker said Ambulance Tasmania was modernising its operations to cope with ramping at hospitals, reducing waiting times and to be the best in the country.

“We are going through an incredible change, a change that this organisation has not seen.

“So when we put everything together, increase in volume, the hospital wait time, the challenges of Covid our staff are stressed, our staff are tired.”

A report for staff was due in the next month to try to improve well-being.

Health and Community Services Union state secretary Tim Jacobson said a” cultural change was needed”.

Joe Acker of Ambulance Tasmania with Premier Jeremy Rockliff. First day on the job for new Premier Jeremy Rockliff with an event at Dodges Ferry Ambulance Station. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Joe is a clinician who understands the pressures on his workforce but most of the changes are bureaucratic and the big issue is meeting the demand on services,” Mr Jacobson said.

Mr Rockliff said in talking to Tasmanians their number one priority was health which was why he had decided to retain the health portfolio.

“I’m very committed to ensuring that every single Tasmanian deserves to get the best possible health care in the right place at the right time and that will be my focus,” he said.

“I’m proud to say we’ve employed an additional 243 full time equivalent staff at Ambulance Tasmania, and we committed at the recent election to employ some 48 more paramedics.”

Mr Rockliff was particularly pleased that the Police, Ambulance, Clinician Early Response (PACER) team had helped 286 mental health patients in crisis over the first 10 weeks of operation, resulting in 71 per cent of these people able to stay in the community rather than going to hospital.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff with Joe Acker of Ambulance Tasmania. First day on the job for new Premier Jeremy Rockliff with an event at Dodges Ferry Ambulance Station. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

He is expected to announce his new look Cabinet next week and will speak to his colleagues this weekend and would be “reaching out” to Attorney-General Elise Archer who decided not to contest the deputy leadership against Michael Ferguson..

“I’ll be really giving a great deal of thought to the makeup of the Cabinet balancing of course the experience of individuals with a perspective to their existing portfolio responsibilities.

“I can assure Tasmanians it will be very focused, a very united and a very committed cabinet that’s there to govern for all Tasmanians.”

Mr Rockliff said he had never met Labor leader Anthony Albanese but had worked well with the Morrison government.