RTI documents have revealed Ambulance Tasmania met only 17% of the National Safety and Quality Health Service standards in a mock readiness assessment. The Liberals should be improving funding for the ambulance service so Tasmanians have adequate care — not making more cuts.
In its assessment of Tasmanian ambulance service’s compliance with national standards, the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards found of 138 actions only 23 were fully met. Particularly concerning was a failure to respond to SAC 1 and coroner’s recommendations.
Lack of systems and processes around risk management, identifying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and ensuring policies and procedures were up to date were also really worrying findings. It’s an alarming assessment of just how bad things have become in the ambulance service.
Ambulance Tasmania staff are doing their best, but serious government underfunding is meaning the ambulance service isn’t up to standard. This can’t be allowed to continue.
Tasmania’s ambulance service is already in bad shape. We hear all the time from members of the community about ambulances not coming when they need them. Any more cuts are just going to make things worse, and mean more Tasmanians don’t get the healthcare they need. But that’s exactly what the Liberal Government have planned, with the recent budget showing reduced spending on Ambulance Tasmania from this year to next. That’s a real, direct cut in black and white to this critical service, just when funding is needed more than ever.
Tasmanians deserve the same standard of healthcare as people in other states. The Liberals must provide Ambulance Tasmania with the funding it needs to get up to standard — not make more cuts.
