MEMBER for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland has called on the Victorian Government to urgently address ambulance workforce shortages, alleging that local taxis are increasingly being relied upon to transport patients and paramedics.
Ms Cleeland said that she has recently spoken to a local taxi driver who says he is being asked to undertake jobs where people are experiencing health conditions that would ordinarily require ambulance support.
The taxi driver from Seymour, who the Review has spoken with to verify the claims, has asked to remain anonymous.
“This is a system under real strain, and it is regional communities who are bearing the consequences,” Ms Cleeland said.
“It is deeply concerning that taxis are being used in place of ambulances. These vehicles are not equipped for medical emergencies, and drivers are not trained to provide urgent care.
“Every Victorian should have confidence that when they call for an ambulance, a properly equipped vehicle with trained paramedics will arrive.
“Right now, what we are seeing is a patchwork response, where taxis are filling the gaps of an under-resourced system.”
In 2015, Ambulance Victoria (AV) announced a change to the way it handles Triple Zero (000) calls, assisting non-urgent callers to find a safe alternative to free up ambulance services for life-threatening situations.
More recent reporting from the Herald Sun showed that AV booked an average of 76 taxis per day in 2023 to take regional-based patients to and from hospital and other appointments.
According to Ambulance Victoria Hume Director Regional and Clinical Operations Narelle Capp, taxis can be used as an alternative method of transport for patients whose conditions can be treated when they reach the hospital.
“We need to ensure our ambulances and paramedics are available for life-threatening or serious health emergencies. Where a person’s condition isn’t life-threatening, and where our specialists have assessed they won’t need clinical treatment or supervision along the way, we will work with the patient to find a safe alternative,” Ms Capp said.
“This might be making their own way, getting a family member or friend, or for our team to arrange a taxi at (Ambulance Victoria’s) expense.
“We want to urge Victorians to only call an ambulance for those serious emergencies and, when it’s not life-threatening, consider appropriate care pathways, such as the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, Urgent Care Clinics, Nurse on Call, local GPs and pharmacists.”
Ms Cleeland also said the problem extends beyond patient transport, with taxis also being used to move paramedics between towns to fill workforce gaps.
“Paramedics are being driven from one station to another in taxis just to maintain minimum coverage,” she said.
“That is not a system working as it should. It is a system being stretched beyond its limits.”
‘No lectures’
In response, Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said: “We will always back our paramedics.”
“That’s why we have invested $2 billion into our ambulance services, recruited more than 2200 more paramedics, and built or upgraded over 40 ambulance branches across the state.
“We won’t take lectures from the Nationals on healthcare. Under their watch, their government went to war with our ambos and health workers, and they closed and privatised hospitals in every corner of the state.”
The taxi driver confirmed with the Review that they have driven ambulance workers between Kilmore and Wallan stations in the past.
But AV has dismissed this as standard practice, saying it has a long-standing policy that involves the use of taxis to transport paramedics to alternative work locations when they are unable to use a personal vehicle, or to return paramedics to their Ambulance Victoria vehicle from hospital.
Member for Macedon and Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas was contacted for comment but did not respond before our deadline.