Country ambulance services boosted with recruitment of 25 new paramedics
In 2019, WA Country Health Service (WACHS) released the Country Ambulance Strategy - Striving for Equity in Country WA on the back of the most extensive community consultation ever undertaken in relation to country ambulance services, including 120 community workshops and almost 1,000 submissions received from community members, health providers and stakeholders.
The implementation of the strategy has moved into a new phase this week with the announcement of a $10 million funding boost to recruit 25 additional paid paramedics to regional WA.
WA Country Health Service A/Chief Executive, Margaret Denton said the recruitment to boost the regional paramedic workforce is already underway to further strengthen country ambulance services and provide better on-the-ground support for local volunteers.
“The new paramedics will be allocated across nine regional locations that have been strategically selected to bring the greatest benefits based on the best available data-mapping,” she said.
“Five new paramedics will be located in Kalgoorlie and five in Bunbury with the remainder being allocated across Laverton, Meekatharra, Karratha, Newman, Merredin and Narrogin.
“Of the 25 additional paramedics, three will be employed to a central pool which will be used to provide leave coverage for country WA’s existing Community Paramedic workforce to allow for service continuity,” Ms Denton added.
The boost to ambulance services supports other work currently underway to implement the Country Ambulance Strategy, including collaborating with St John Ambulance to improve data-sharing and look to new technologies which will help maximise the effectiveness of every ambulance crew on the road.
This collaborative approach is also working towards delivering new solutions to improve how non-urgent patients are transferred between hospitals, freeing up country paramedics and volunteers for emergency call-outs.
“This announcement is good news for country WA - by strengthen ambulance services through increasing the paid paramedic workforce, improving patient transfers and providing greater support to our valued volunteers and paramedics we are contributing to a sustainable, innovative future for country communities,” Ms Denton said.