As concerns for Victoria’s emergency healthcare system continue to grow with Ambulance Victoria’s (AV)Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) yet to be finalised, Mitchell Shire paramedics have come forward to share their story and the reality facing first responders.
Prior to the most recent EBA’s expiration in February this year, paramedics were unable to express their concerns to the media and in public forums freely, limited to raising issues with higher management only.
However, when the EBA expired, negotiations and Protected Industrial Action began, along with an onslaught of media coverage and campaigns highlighting the unfair working conditions paramedics are facing.
Ambulance windows have been chalked to call for action: ‘Save 000 for emergencies’, to raise awareness: ‘We can’t turn out if we burn out’, to highlight the crisis: ‘Learn CPR … we might be a while,’ and to underscore the urgency: ‘1 in 5 of us are looking to leave.’
Yet despite over eight months of hundreds of meetings and AV Chief Executive Jane Miller’s recent resignation, the conversation between the State Government and AV remains ongoing.
With incidental overtime and other conditions a growing concern, paramedics have called for negotiations to be finalised quickly in favour of those who dedicate their lives to saving others.
“[Our] main concern … is end-of-shift management and … incidental overtime,” a local paramedic stated.
“It is not uncommon for our shifts to extend two to three hours overtime due to a lack of appropriate end-of-shift management protocols being in place.
Speaking to staff retention, local paramedics highlighted the high turnover rates of the industry, and the difficulty in maintaining a work-life balance.
“[Recently], there was a shift that was due to finish at 11pm, it finished at 2am. That is a 15-hour shift.”
“Staff retention is a massive issue, with a recent poll stating that one in five paramedics are planning to leave in the next 12 months,” they said.
“When you are consistently working overtime and unable to commit to things outside of work such as social events, or more importantly, the smaller, everyday things like school assemblies or even picking your kids up from childcare – this has a massive impact on you and your family.”
The number of available resources across the Mitchell Shire are also of concern, where despite a 49,000 strong and growing population, only one additional resource had been added to the local area.
“Since 2014, we have only had an increase of one resource for the Mitchell Shire, and it is the Broadford resource that runs 8am-8pm, so no further resource at night. We only have three permanent ambulances available overnight covering Wallan, Kilmore, Broadford, and Seymour,” a local paramedic stated.
But with lack of resources a statewide issue, regional units are often unable to support their local communities, being dispatched to serve metropolitan areas instead.
“When a case comes in, the closest car is dispatched,” the paramedic stated.
“As an example, [recently, the Kilmore crew] were closest to a Code 1 in Gisborne, 51km away. Wallan will often be closest to … Code 1s in metro, and as Seymour covers a very large area, they will regularly travel 40-50km on a Code 1 response.
“Members from the Kilmore branch are regularly used to cover Yea and Alexandra, as well as Nagambie and Murchison and branches in the Loddon Mallee Region.
“It is not uncommon for the whole of Mitchell [based crews] to be out at jobs and ramped at hospital, and the service needing to call paramedics … to come in on their days off.”
Speaking to the Review, an AV spokesperson stated that the organisation was working to address the concerns raised by paramedics.
“Our paramedics are working under enormous pressure, and we continue to prioritise work to address high levels of incidental overtime, fatigue and rostering challenges, improve call-taking and dispatch, and help our people finish their shifts on time,” they said.
And easing this pressure is exactly what local paramedics are hoping for.
“The main issue with forced overtime comes from the inappropriate coding of cases from the Ambulance Triage System, which means crews are being sent Lights and Sirens to cases that do not warrant it, as well as hospital ramping times due to our failing health system,” they said.
“We are in this job to help our community and those in need of emergency services. [But these issues] mean that we are not available for those who need us the most and having our area uncovered and unable to respond to the community for significant periods of time.
“The conditions of the job at this point in time definitely have paramedics considering resignation, however at the heart of it all we still love our job and being there for the community – we just need our conditions met by AV to make this job sustainable.”
