Ambulance Victoria (AV) is introducing a six-month pilot to reduce waiting times for code one cases and cut average response times in Corangamite Shire of 18 minutes and 10 seconds to the statewide benchmark of 10 minutes .

AV Barwon South West regional director Simon Thomson said the changes would improve wait times and patient outcomes and reduce paramedic fatigue.

In Terang, the paramedic will travel in a sedan and wait for a two-person trained ambulance community officer (ACO) crew to arrive in the ambulance.  “This change will increase the number of AV personnel responding to each case and hopefully also improve response times,” he said. 

In Camperdown paramedics will continue to respond as part of a two-person crew with an ACO and will be stationed at the branch overnight.

He said AV prioritised its workers’ safety and had introduced initiatives to “to reduce safety risks and enable our staff to feel supported.”

Ambulance Employees Australia Victoria general secretary Danny Hill disagreed and said care would be compromised, and paramedic safety at risk, calling for the same standard of care as metro centres.

He said it was a cost-cutting measure and could leave paramedics alone in dangerous or life threatening situations. 

He said two paramedics needed to be rostered so they could respond immediately, rather than waiting for help to arrive. “It’s a major shift in how they do their work, they’re left to their own devices until help arrives.

“We see it as a major step backwards,” Mr Hill said. “Even though they’re small country towns, patients there should have the same care as metropolitan Melbourne where there is two paramedics on the truck as a minimum.”

He said the ASOs were trained to a high standard of first aid and first response and did a fantastic job. “This is no criticism of them whatsoever.

“It’s just not acceptable that we have such a difference in the standard of care between bigger centres and metropolitan Melbourne and these remote country towns. The paramedics face the same risks and they should be protected by having a partner with them at all times.” 

He said the program was operating in Rochester, north of Melbourne, and there was an instance where a patient was in cardiac arrest and the paramedic was alone working on them until back-up ACOs arrived. 

“We’ve had situations where there’s been no ACOs available and the person has responded where there’s been threats of occupational violence, and pushing and shoving of a paramedic,” Mr Hill said. 

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