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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-10-27 Daily Xml
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SA AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Health. How are recent changes to the SA Ambulance Service benefiting South Australians?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:57): I thank the member for Mawson for the question and, in answering it, I note his own commendation of the ambulance service just recently. The member for Mawson, for the interest of members, was doorknocking in his electorate a couple of weeks ago when he found a man collapsed in the front seat of his car, I think with the engine running. The member for Mawson got on to the local ambulance service which was there very quickly and which was able to revive and look after the person who was unconscious. I must say—and I thank the member for Mawson for doing it—he then wrote to me advising me of the great work that the local officers had done and I passed that on to them. I know that they are always pleased to get positive feedback, particularly from members of parliament.

Last year, SA Ambulance Service launched a new strategic plan, Defining the Road Ahead (2008-2015). The plan responds to the increasing demands on ambulance services by moving SA Ambulance Service away from a traditional model of treat and always transport to treat and, in some cases, leave; treat and sometimes refer; or treat and sometimes transport. This reform process is about ensuring that patients receive a level of care which is appropriate to their need.

As the demand for ambulance services has been increasing at around about 8 per cent a year over the last three years, it has been necessary for the service to change the way it does business in order to remain sustainable. Treating people more efficiently and more appropriately to the level of need has also enabled services to improve.

According to reports released recently by the Council of Ambulance Authorities, SA Ambulance Service has the best patient response times in Australia, getting to 90 per cent of life-threatening cases within 14.2 minutes in urban areas after a call is received. The ambulance service, in fact, is the only service in the nation to meet the national response time guidelines of reaching 90 per cent of life-threatening emergencies within 15 minutes. When comparing response times from the moment the ambulance crew starts their journey to attend the emergency, our ambulance service officers were also the best in the country. In urban areas, SA Ambulance Service staff responded within 6½ minutes 50 per cent of the time and 10.7 minutes 90 per cent of the time.

In addition, SA Ambulance Service swept the board at the Council of Ambulance Authorities Awards held in New Zealand on 14 October, bringing home seven out of 16 national awards. The Extended Care Paramedics Program was amongst the SA Ambulance Service initiatives recognised. Extended care paramedics are specially trained paramedics who, if medically appropriate, assess and treat patients in their own homes or residential care facilities. This avoids a trip to hospital for the patient and, of course, helps to reduce pressure on our emergency department presentations.

Ten more extended care paramedics will become operational in the metro area from 14 December this year, bringing the total number of extended care paramedics to 17. This expansion follows the success of a seven-month pilot that ran in southern Adelaide. During the pilot around half the 1,100 or so cases that were attended by extended care paramedics avoided an emergency department presentation—so, over 500 avoidances in the pilot stage. The program is just one of many progressive and nation-leading programs being developed by the SA Ambulance Service.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work undertaken by Ray Creen and his team. All the hardworking ambulance officers—the men and women, the everyday heroes of our ambulance service—do an outstanding job, both the paid and the volunteer staff. I would also congratulate this year's recipients of the chief executive officer's commendation, which is given for those who utilise their skills in response to a medical emergency on an international scale. With less than two hours notice, Executive Director of Clinical Services Hugh Grantham and rescue paramedics Ray Cossey and Phil Dalton were joined by Bill Griggs, Director of Trauma Services at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and SA Ambulance Service medical officer, on a plane bound for Samoa.

Within two hours they were the only team around Australia that was able to get their act together so quickly, put the right number of people in a plane and have them in the air within two hours—an outstanding achievement and one which all South Australians should be proud of. On arrival they were able to provide expert medical assistance to the region affected by the tsunami that struck American Samoa and Tonga on 30 September this year. They were also able to make quality medical and scene assessments and provide this intelligence back to Australia and New Zealand in order to inform further deployments.

The rapid response from the Australian medical team certainly played an important part in reducing the long-term effects and severity of the disaster. All South Australians can be proud of that team and, indeed, all South Australians can be proud of the SA Ambulance Service. Our ambulance officers deserve our praise and gratitude for their dedication to the community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

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