Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
in Australia are provided by state ambulance services, which are a division of each
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
or
territorial
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
government, and by
St John Ambulance
St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...
in both
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
and the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
.
Organisation
Land ambulance
![NSW Ambulance Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/NSW_Ambulance_Australia.png)
Ambulance service within Australia can be divided into two basic groups; the
statutory
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by le ...
services and also
volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
groups. In all
Australian states
The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing p ...
, with the exception of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, and in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, statutory ambulance services are provided by the state/territorial government, as a single-entity, third-service model, government department. In
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, and in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, all statutory ambulance service is provided by
St John Ambulance Australia
St John Ambulance Australia (also known as St John) (SJAA) is a charitable organisation, dedicated to helping people in sickness, distress, suffering or danger. It is part of an international organisation that consists of eight priories that f ...
, under contract to the state/territorial government. In all other states and territories, the activities of St John Ambulance are all limited to first aid training and special events support, with the occasional disaster response. In all states with the exception of
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
and
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, users who are not on welfare benefits are billed directly for their usage of an ambulance. In addition, while not strictly ambulance services, some jurisdictions also have private companies offering medical transportation services on a fee-for-service basis. Ambulance services in Australia operate on the Anglo-American (as opposed to the Franco-German) EMS service delivery model.
Air ambulance
Air ambulance
Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
service is accomplished in Australia by means of a variety of arrangements and providers. In New South Wales rescue helicopters are split into two districts with
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service and
Toll Air Ambulance
Toll may refer to:
Transportation
* Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway
** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use
** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use
** Shadow toll, ...
servicing the entire state. The Sydney-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter is solely used for search and rescue taskings.
Some
Some may refer to:
*''some'', an English word used as a determiner and pronoun; see use of ''some''
*The term associated with the existential quantifier
*"Some", a song by Built to Spill from their 1994 album ''There's Nothing Wrong with Love''
*S ...
states, such as
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
share air ambulance resources with other public agencies; in the case of Queensland, air ambulance services are primarily provided by
Emergency Management Queensland
Emergency Management Queensland was the emergency division of the Department of Community Safety. The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service also belonged to the department. It aimed to plan and prepare for disasters as well as rescue and protect p ...
(EMQ Helicopter Rescue) and a mixture of other providers such as
LifeFlight Australia
LifeFlight Australia is an aero-medical organisation headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Until July 2016, it was known as CareFlight, but was renamed to avoid confusion with the CareFlight organisation headquartered in New South W ...
, RACQ CQ Rescue, RACQ Capricorn Helicopter Rescue, RACQ NQ Rescue and
AGL Action Rescue Helicopter may fill service gaps. In other states, such as
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
a mix of service providers, including other emergency services such as the police, continue to operate but medical crews are provided by MedStar, a government entity which provide doctors, nurses and flight paramedics to MAC Rescue (Helicopter) and RFDS (Fixed Wing). While helicopters provide good service in coastal areas with high population density, in the more sparsely settled interior, distances can be vast, and
fixed-wing
A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct ...
aircraft are the preferred mode of transport. In these cases, the statutory ambulance services often operate the aircraft, in cooperation with Australia's
Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
.
First responders
There are a number of different first responders in Australia that supplement ambulance services. First responders provide a rapid response to the scene but do not transport patients.
* Many metropolitan ambulance services have single paramedics in vehicles and on motorcycles.
* In
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and Sydney,
Hatzolah
Hatzalah (; he, הַצָּלָה, lit=rescue, relief) is one of several Jewish volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organizations serving mostly areas with Jewish communities around the world, giving free medical service no matter their ...
provides first responders to the Jewish Community.
* Since 1998 in Melbourne, the Metropolitan Fire Service respond to suspected cardiac or respiratory arrest medical emergencies.
* In rural South Australia some towns have Community Emergency Response Teams such as Port McDonnell and Marion Bay and historically Meadows.
*Commencing December 30, 2020,
Ambulance Service New South Wales will be dispatching a number of emergency services (including the
State Emergency Service
The State Emergency Service (SES) is the name used by a number of organisations in Australia that provide assistance during and after major incidents. Specifically, the service deals with floods, storms and tsunamis, but can also assist in oth ...
) alongside ASNSW to suspected cardiac or respiratory arrest medical emergencies where under the Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program.
Firefighter Emergency Medical Responders
In
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
the
Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Melbourne (MFB) provides a fully professional Emergency Medical Response (EMR) capability for the metropolitan fire district. Commencing in 1998 the MFB's EMR program is run in partnership with
Ambulance Victoria
Ambulance Victoria (AV), a Victorian agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in Victoria. Ambulance Victoria was formed on 1 July 2008 with the merger ...
(AV) to ensure rapid trained response to
Computer-aided Dispatch
Computer-aided dispatch (CAD), also called computer-assisted dispatch, is a method of dispatching taxicabs, couriers, field service technicians, mass transit vehicles or emergency services assisted by computer. It can either be used to send messag ...
(CAD) "priority 0" (suspected cardiac or respiratory arrest) medical emergencies across Melbourne.
Training
To qualify as a Firefighter Emergency Medical Responder, MFB professional firefighters undertake a 12-month training program provided by
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
following a training curriculum developed specifically for professional firefighters by the MFB and Monash University Faculty of Community Emergency Health & Paramedic Practice. MFB Firefighters are trained to provide
advanced life support
Advanced Life Support (ALS) is a set of life saving protocols and skills that extend basic life support to further support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation (breathing).
Components
These include:
* Tracheal in ...
care including oxygen resuscitation and airway management, CPR, defibrillation, spinal and trauma care. When required, firefighters may also provide assistance to ambulance paramedics.
Programme benefits
Under the EMR program, MFB firefighters are simultaneously dispatched with AV paramedics to all priority 0 medical emergencies within the metropolitan fire district. In 60% of these EMR events, MFB firefighters arrive first on scene and commence initial patient assessment and provide care as required. On arrival, AV paramedics take over responsibility for patient care with MFB firefighters then providing assistance as required. As a result of EMR response, two minutes have been cut from the response time to cardiac arrest cases in the metropolitan fire district covered by the MFB. This program and the expansion of emergency and MICA ambulance services in Melbourne in recent years is providing the Melbourne community with a higher cardiac arrest survival rate than other Australian capital cities. Due to the reported success of this program it has been expanded to include some full-time stations run by Victoria's
Country Fire Authority
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) is a volunteer fire service responsible for fire suppression, rescues, and response to other accidents and hazards across most of the state Victoria, Australia. CFA comprises over 1,200 brigades organised in 21 ...
. The NSW Government has recently proposed a similar program utilising
Fire and Rescue NSW
Fire and Rescue New South Wales (previously known as New South Wales Fire Brigades), an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is responsible for firefighting, rescue and HazMat services in the major cities, metropolitan areas ...
but has faced strong opposition from the Fire Brigade Employees Union.
Standards
Training and staffing
Ambulance services in Australia use, for the most part, well educated professional staff, supplemented in low volume rural areas by volunteers. The level of training for volunteers is considered to be a high level of skill at advanced first aid. Paid staff fall into two categories; Transport Officers and Paramedics. Transport Officers complete certificate level training, and are normally only used for the non-emergency interfacility transportation of patients. Anyone employed on an emergency ambulance must be trained as a paramedic. There are several levels of
paramedics in Australia
A Paramedic in Australia is a health care professional who holds a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Paramedicine and is registered with the Paramedicine Board of Australia via the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) As of D ...
. The term ‘paramedic’ is now legally protected in Australia, with paramedics requiring registration with the
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), infrequently spelt as the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency is a statutory authority founded in 2010 which is responsible, in collaboration with the ''Medical Board of ...
(AHPRA) since 1 December 2018.
The preferred level of entry into practice for new paramedics is a multi-year, Bachelor's degree program in either Emergency Health, Paramedicine or Clinical Practice (Paramedic), including classroom lectures, clinical practice, and internship components. The intent is to make this qualification the only path of entry into the field but so far only the states of Victoria and Tasmania have phased out all other methods of entry. Ambulance services in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
now draw the majority of their paramedics from degree programs and continue to use the older-style, internal diploma programs only to fill service gaps and shortages in forecasted requirements . These older programs continue to be necessary to ensure ambulance services are able to directly train additional staff to fill shortages and as the numbers of degree graduate paramedics being produced by the university system are insufficient to meet ambulance services’ requirements for new employees.
NSW Ambulance
NSW Ambulance, previously the Ambulance Service of NSW, is an agency of NSW Health and the statutory provider of pre-hospital emergency care and ambulance services in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Established pursuant to the and op ...
is transitioning to tertiary entrance but this process will be phased in over several years and may be achieved by 2020.
Training as a Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance Paramedic in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and equivalent Intensive Care Paramedic programs in other states involves the completion of a post-graduate certificate program. The program, which typically takes an additional year to complete, involves theory, clinical and supervised practice components. Graduates possess an expanded skill set which may include intubation, Rapid Sequence Intubation (
RSI), additional drugs, and in some cases, certification of death. Those certified as MICA-Paramedics in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
function on protocols, working independently and with minimal medical supervision.
Vehicles
![NSW Ambulance INSP91](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/NSW_Ambulance_INSP91.jpg)
Ambulance services in Australia provide emergency medical services by means of a number of service delivery methods. These include both conventional ambulances and aircraft, but also include a variety of rapid response vehicles with single paramedics, including both all-wheel drive type vehicles (
SUVs
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
) and motorcycles. Supervisory vehicles are also equipped with medical equipment, and capable of providing first response service, when required. Some services, most notably New South Wales, provided the statutory
rescue
Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation.
Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...
service in addition to their role in pre-hospital care, this has recently changed however, ASNSW Rescue Units are currently in the process of being disbanded with their rescue duties and resources being reassigned to the NSW Fire Brigade. There is no national standard for the design of conventional ambulances in Australia. All ambulance services have their vehicles built to their own internal specifications. That being said, Australia's ambulances are roughly similar from one state to another with the majority of general paramedic/intensive care ambulances in Australia being based on the Mercedes Sprinter which are upgraded every three years. They all generally comply with the
European Standard
European Standards (abbreviated EN, from the German name ("European Norm")) are technical standards which have been ratified by one of the three European standards organizations: European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for ...
CEN 1789
CEN 1789:2020 is the European Union standard for ambulances and medical transportation vehicles. This European standard specifies requirements for the design, testing, performance and equipping of road ambulances used for the transport and care of ...
as published by the European Committee for Standards, apart from the visual identity provisions. This compliance is, however, incidental.
Dispatch
Ambulances and paramedics in Australia are centrally dispatched. Australia's
national emergency number is
000
Triple zero, Triple Zero, Zero Zero Zero, Triple 0, Triple-0, 000, or 0-0-0 may refer to:
* 000 (emergency telephone number), the Australian emergency telephone number
* "Triple Zero", a song by AFI (band), AFI from ''Shut Your Mouth and Open Your ...
. This number rings at the Telstra Global Operations Centre, where an operator determines the caller's needs and then directs the caller to the appropriate emergency service (police, fire, ambulance). Callers then speak to an operator at a dispatch centre, managed by the relevant state ambulance service (E.g.
AFCOM
000 Emergency, also known as Triple Zero or Triple 0, and sometimes stylised Triple Zero (000), is the primary national emergency telephone number in Australia. The Emergency Call Service is operated by Telstra, and overseen by the Australian ...
in Brisbane, QLD) or may even speak to an individual officer in the case of rural/remote stations. Dispatch technologies, including automated vehicle locating (
AVL) and decision-support software are either identical (as with
AMPDS and
Computer-aided Dispatch
Computer-aided dispatch (CAD), also called computer-assisted dispatch, is a method of dispatching taxicabs, couriers, field service technicians, mass transit vehicles or emergency services assisted by computer. It can either be used to send messag ...
) or comparable with those found in North America and Europe.
Response times
Australian ambulance services generally publicise a response time standard of 'around 10 minutes' on high priority emergency calls. Ongoing monitoring suggests that compliance is improving, many "Code one" (i.e. Lights and Siren) calls are reached well within 10 minutes.
See also
*
Health care in Australia
Health care in Australia operates under a shared public-private model underpinned by the Medicare (Australia), Medicare system, the national Single-payer healthcare, single-payer funding model. States and territories of Australia, State and t ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emergency Medical Services In Australia