Page 163 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 February 2018
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The ACT government is committed to supporting the ACT Ambulance Service to continue providing nation-leading ambulance services to the Canberra community. We know that Canberra is growing quickly, so we are already working to invest strongly in the future of the ACT Ambulance Service and keep it up to the high standards that Canberrans rightly expect of their emergency services. In December last year, I announced that the ACT government would fulfil its election commitment for more front-line ambulance resources with the recruitment of 23 new paramedics and two new ambulances. This is in addition to the recruitment of 11 paramedics already underway. This support demonstrates the ACT government’s commitment to meeting continued increases in ambulance call-outs while supporting the welfare of front-line employees.
MS ORR: Minister, is the support of the ACT government translating into good performance in our ambulance response times?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary. The ACT community can have the highest confidence in the performance of their ambulance service. The support of the ACT government has resulted in strong performance by the ACT Ambulance Service in key measures such as response times and patient satisfaction. For the sixth year in a row ACT Ambulance Service response times are the best in the country according to the latest Productivity Commission report on the delivery of government services.
Patient satisfaction is also important, and the ambulance patient satisfaction survey shows the ACT Ambulance Service consistently meeting community expectations. This is in the face of increasing demand for emergency services in Canberra. These results are a credit to the professionalism and dedication of the women and men of the service and the wider ACT Emergency Services Agency.
MS CODY: Minister, how is the ACT government supporting the wellbeing of our individual paramedics?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Ms Cody for her interest in the welfare of our emergency services people. Ensuring that our emergency service employees and volunteers have the right support to do their jobs well and safely remains a top priority for the ACT government. Increased demand and call-outs put pressure on the welfare of our committed ambulance workforce, who, even on a normal day, are called on to respond to difficult and distressing situations which would test most of us.
For this reason the safety and wellbeing of our paramedics is front of mind in ensuring that we appropriately resource our ambulance services. As well as the additional staff and vehicle resources that I have already mentioned today, I am pleased to inform the Assembly that the new manager, welfare programs commenced with the Emergency Services Agency on 13 February. The manager, welfare programs has been tasked with developing a peer support program for ESA. This work will be guided by the experience of a successful similar peer support program developed by the Queensland Ambulance Service. This initiative is one further example of the support the ACT government is providing for our valued emergency services staff.
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