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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-10-19 Daily Xml
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EMERGENCY SERVICES COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:09): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The state government is introducing a new computer aided dispatch (CAD) system across South Australia's emergency services. SA Ambulance Service is the first agency to use this new dispatch system, and it recognises the service was in most urgent need of upgrade to its existing dispatch system. The old dispatch system had reached the end of its useful life, and its long-term reliability could not be guaranteed.

Given the critical nature of the work that the ambulance service does, a new dispatch system was considered essential to guarantee public safety and a better service over the longer term. The new dispatch system went live one month ago, ahead of a rolling implementation scheme to other government emergency services, which will come in line in the coming months.

This is a project of significant and complex scale, and I thank the staff at the SA Ambulance Service for the patience and professionalism they have demonstrated through the initial implementation period. The operators had four months of training ahead of the new system's introduction; however, the transition in a live operation environment was always—

The SPEAKER: Order! Can I remind the media that they are only to film people on their feet.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: That's me.

The SPEAKER: And can members also please keep the background noise down? It is very hard to hear the minister, as he is very softly spoken gentleman.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I am sorry, Madam Speaker. I will try and resonate a little more loudly.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Project.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Project. As I was saying, Madam Speaker, the operators had four months of training ahead of the new system's introduction; however, the transition in a live operational environment was always going to be a huge challenge, and some initial issues were always anticipated. As use of the system has progressed during the last month, a small number of issues have been identified, which I want to let the house know about.

During extensive and robust testing prior to going live, these issues did not present at any time. SA Ambulance Service has advised that, of the 13,135 triple zero calls received since the service has gone live, there is only one known incident—unfortunately, but still only one. That occurred the day after transitioning, and in that case, there was a 25-minute delay in dispatching an ambulance.

I am advised that other teething problems have been minor in nature and have not resulted in any adverse patient outcomes. Public safety and providing the highest level of emergency ambulance response to the community remains the number one priority, obviously. SA Ambulance Service says it has worked with the supplier to quickly resolve any issues and to put contingencies in place.

I acknowledge that this has presented some additional challenges for staff in the Emergency Operations Centre, and I again thank these staff members for handling the move to the new system extremely well. I am assured that the SA Ambulance Service is working closely with the supplier as a matter of priority to put in place permanent solutions that will deliver a more efficient working environment for our staff.

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