Ms ROSOL – Thank you for that. Is it possible to get a raw number for those figures, please, that are over 3 minutes for 2022‑23? So a raw number, you’ve given me percentages of those that were seen within 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, but a number of those that weren’t seen or went weren’t appointed within or assigned an ambulance within 3 minutes.
Mr BARNETT – Thanks for the question. CEO.
Mr EMERY – Yes, through you, minister. We could provide that data. I’ll have the team work on pulling out the raw numbers now and come back to you shortly if that’s –
Ms ROSOL – Sorry. Just confirming, taking that one on notice?
Mr BARNETT – Yes, hopefully, we’ll be able to get back to you today.
Ms ROSOL – Great. Thank you. So what was the total number of paramedic shifts that were worked in 2023‑24? And what was the total number that went unfilled. And again, could we get that in raw terms, please, not percentages?
Mr BARNETT – So through you, Chair, I’ll just check if the Chief Executive is able to respond.
Mr EMERY -There are limits to our capacity to provide that data but I can speak to some of the factors around that.
Mr BARNETT – If you could.
Mr EMERY – Thank you, minister, through you. Ms Rosol, whilst we continue to work towards implementation of the HRIS system, we don’t have that data readily available. In terms of pulling shift data across the whole state for every location, it does require a significant amount of manual work to do that. We make every effort to fill all shift vacancies. We have had challenges at times filling shift vacancies, predominantly due to unplanned sick leave.
We also have circumstances that have affected some of our capacity to fill shifts around flexible work arrangements within Ambulance Tasmania that we’re actively working through, but we’re not in a capacity without current rostering systems to pool a total number of shifts and a total number of shift vacancies for the last year.
Ms ROSOL – So even though this would be a matter of significant public interest, you’re saying you can’t do that?
Mr EMERY – It would require – sorry, through you Minister – it would require a review of paper-based rostering records and timesheets over that period of time in order for us to pull that data. It’s why the HRIS system is important for us to mature our rostering practices and ensuring that we can provide that data on a regular basis, but I would say Ms Rosol, we make every effort to fill those vacancies through shift arrangements, time credit, filling shifts on overtime, et cetera, because it’s critically important for us that we have as many ambulances on the road as possible at any time.
Ms ROSOL – I understand that shift information has been provided in past estimates. So, just curious about whether that can be provided this time.
Mr EMERY – We have – sorry, through you minister, we have previously had some right‑to‑information requests around defined periods of time where we have provided information on shift coverage. We could potentially go away and look at that over a 12-month period. It would be challenging. We would need a fairly lengthy period of time to review that data. It’s quite challenging absent an electronic rostering system, but we could provide some snapshot data for a more short or defined period of time.
Mr BARNETT – Perhaps we could to try to assist the honourable member, and the committee take it on notice and provide what information is sort of physically and practically possible and respond to that question on notice. Do you think that would be an appropriate way to go?
Mr EMERY – Yes, I think so, minister.
Ms ROSOL – Thank you. I’ve got some questions around overtime hours worked as well. Would that – could we include that in the questions on notice too?
Mr BARNETT – Well, we’re happy to ask those questions now and let’s just see if the honourable chief executive is able to respond.
Ms ROSOL – Thank you. So what was the total numbers of overtime worked by paramedics in 2023 to 2024 and what percentage of shifts worked by paramedics saw them doing overtime?
Mr EMERY – Thank you. Through you minister, I can provide some values as they relate to overtime as a percentage of paid FTE. I know that’s not exactly what you’re asking for, Ms Rosol, but as it related to 2023-24. In the northern region, overtime FTE as a percentage of paid FTE was 12.86 per cent. In the north-west it was 10.86 per cent and in the south it was 9.85 per cent for 2023-24 and for the previous year in the north, 11.12 – so from 11.12 to – sorry, 12.86. For the north-west it went from 8.82 per cent to 10.86 per cent and for the south it went from 8.69 per cent to 9.85 per cent and if I could just say as an extension to that, we have, through the leadership of my executive director of operations, made significant efforts to stabilise our staffing establishment.
As I said, a significant driver around the staffing establishment is flexible work arrangements and a change in our workforce composition. I’m frankly very proud to say that Ambulance Tasmania is now almost 50 per cent women in our paramedic positions, but that brings some additional challenges around maternity leave and we’re in the process of doing structural work to address some of those maternity leave challenges and the associated flexible work arrangements, and I wouldn’t want any of my comments to detract from the reality that we’re a fundamentally better organisation because we have young mums working as paramedics for us. We just need to continue to work on modernising some of our roster practices and flexible work arrangements so that we can cover some of those shift vacancies that we’ve experienced through flexible working arrangements more broadly.
Ms ROSOL – Thank you. We know ambulance response times are a big challenge and obviously there’s some data available, but what we’re hearing from paramedics is they’ve got particular concerns for what’s happening to emergency patients who aren’t getting an ambulance straight away and how many patients are waiting extended periods. In 2023-24, how many emergency incidents experienced a response time of greater than 30 minutes, how many experienced a response time of greater than 45 minutes and greater than 60 minutes, please?
Mr BARNETT – Thank you for the question, it’s quite a detailed question. I’ll just check if the chief executive is able to respond.
Mr EMERY – We don’t have that data immediately.
Mr BARNETT – We’re more than happy to take that on notice and respond accordingly.
Ms ROSOL – Great. Thank you for that.
Mr EMERY – Ms Rosol, in relation to your question about activation times, in terms of specific numbers for 2022‑23, we have a total of 43,286 P0 and P1 incidents, of which 31,857 or 74 per cent were activated within 3 minutes and 11,429 incidents or 26 per cent were activated over 3 minutes. In 2023‑24 we had a total of 43,452 P0 and P1 cases, of which 30,783 or 71 per cent were activated within 3 minutes and 12,669 or 29 per cent were activated in greater than 3 minutes. Those factors impacting on activation times are picked up in those cases outside of the three‑minute mark.
Ms ROSOL – Thank you.
