Key Points
Labor will commit to implementing the ambulance expert review in full by 2032 to support our paramedics and improve response times.
Labor’s plan will:
- Employ 168 new paramedic staff
- Provide a $45m infrastructure fund for upgrading stations and vehicles.
- Increase community paramedics to 8 new locations
- Creation of a Chief Paramedic position to sit with other clinical leadership roles.
Why we need it
Ambulance response times have increased in Tasmania by 30 per cent over the past 10 years with an average of 14.9 minutes for the highest priority cases.
One in 10 responses to a high priority emergency call take more than 34 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.
Ambulances are ramped at the major hospitals and lives are put at risk by not having enough paramedics and vehicles to respond to call outs.
Our dedicated paramedic workforce deserve safe staffing and resourcing so they can provide high quality patient care within clinical timeframes.
The details
The ORH expert review from Ambulance Tasmania, recommended actions to improve response times over an 8 year period to 2032. This included employing at least 87 paramedics by mid 2025 which Labor commits to deliver.
If the review advice is not followed, our hard-working paramedics will be put under further severe strain, response times will surge and Tasmanian lives will be at risk.
By following the expert recommendations, emergency response times will remain within clinical timeframes and we will relieve pressure on paramedics.
Community paramedics perform a critical role to attend non-emergency, low risk callouts. They have specialised clinical and patient assessment training.
Community paramedics treat patients with minor illness or injury in the comfort of their homes without having to present to emergency departments.
What people say about it
“Currently, our members work hard every day, do overtime every day and are on the ramp every day.
The announcement today by Labor means the ambulance service will return to what it should be that is one is what it should be in servicing the people of Tasmania. This goes a long way to fixing the erosion in ambulance services.
This will mean response times will be back below the national average rather than being the worst in the country. “
- Lucas Digney, Paramedic Union (HACSU) Official
The total cost of the plan is $45m in capital and $27.9m in staffing totalling $72.9m at full rollout by 2032.