Paramedics permitted to work in WA hospitals as staffing pressures mount in Kimberley

Paramedics will be permitted to work in WA hospitals for the first time in a trial designed to ease staffing pressures in the Kimberley. A $1 million pilot program will see three dedicated paramedics join the Kimberley Ambulance Service, which services Halls Creek, Fitzroy Crossing and Derby. Previously, the KAS was staffed solely by WA Country Health Service doctors, nurses and orderlies, placing additional strain on hospitals in the region. The tender for the pilot – which was awarded to private operator Safety Direct Solutions and begins in mid-2022 – states “the primary goal of the trial is to ensure that the Kimberley region receives, at a minimum, a similar ambulance service standard as the rest of the state.” In a memo announcing the awarding of the contract, WACHS wrote “a rapid increase in health service demand, workforce constraints and the global impact of COVID-19” meant it was “impractical and unreasonable to rely on the hardworking staff to service KAS whilst also ensuring the hospital is adequately and safely staffed”. The memo said KAS would continue to operate as normal with nurses and orderlies still attending call outs but with the added support of dedicated paramedics. “In addition, paramedics have obvious health-related skills, experience and knowledge that have historically been underutilised in hospitals,” the document said. “WACHS and the SDS paramedics will work collaboratively to explore how the paramedic skill set can be utilised in WACHS emergency departments whilst ensuring safe patient care is maintained.” The trial will mark the first time paramedics are permitted to work within WA’s hospital system. Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the contract would allow different models of care and alternative workforces to be tested. “The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that Kimberley communities may be particularly vulnerable to pressures on ambulance services, making this contract and the additional local support all the more important,” Ms Sanderson said. “This important announcement progresses our long-term plan to safeguard the future of country ambulance services in Western Australia.” Opposition health spokeswoman Libby Mettam said placing paramedics in country hospitals demonstrated they were critically short-staffed. “The metro-centric McGowan Government has continually cut corners on funding services in regional areas and it is clearly now at breaking point, with staffing levels at alarmingly low levels,” Ms Mettam said. “It is also very telling that while the McGowan Government is running a parliamentary inquiry into the public takeover of St John’s Ambulance Service, it has chosen to outsource the WACHS-run ambulance service in the Kimberley to a private company because it can’t fulfill its obligations.” WACHS Kimberley regional director Bec Smith said the appointment of SDS was in line with recommendations of the Country Ambulance Strategy and “not a direct result of workforce pressures”. “This exciting initiative is an opportunity to formally trial paramedics in a hospital environment for the first time,” Ms Smiths aid. “We continue to face staffing pressures at some of our most remote sites – something that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. “The fact is remote healthcare providers across Australia are more reliant on being able to import their workforce. “That’s because attracting and maintaining resident staff in regional areas has always been difficult - despite competitive salaries and generous incentives.”