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Autumn 2005

Some Help, but still feeling the Strain:

Last year the State Government, as a result of major issues associated with health services on the North West coast, announced a major staffing restructure across Ambulance in that region.

This was a great step forward and has been well received by HACSU Ambulance members. But that's really where the great news ends.

In both Northern and Southern Tasmania, members continue to battle under the strain of low staffing and an ever-increasing caseload.

The Tasmanian Ambulance Service has recently indicated to HACSU that it is keen to engage in the development of a strategic plan for the service. With this in mind members are currently considering their priorities for resources.

In terms of staffing, members have overwhelmingly agreed that the first priority should be to increase staff in both the Launceston and Hobart metropolitan areas.

As reported in previous editions of Inform, major problems with accessing medical practitioners, the aging community and a range of other social factors are massively affecting ambulance services.

The HACSU Ambulance Employees Sub Branch has agreed to actively pursue these matters with the Ambulance Service, and if required, the Government.

It takes approximately three years to fully train an Ambulance Officer, so, even if an announcement were made to employ more staff today, it would take some time to relieve the workload burden on staff.

Take some time to think of the staff of the Ambulance Communications Centre. These staff are in the front line of the service and are finding it increasingly difficult to handle the amount of calls and prioritise which Ambulance can be dispatched and when to emergencies.

These staff are the unsung heroes of the Ambulance Service.