Last week we went to the latest working group meeting about implementing a time limit for how long you’re ramped.

You’ll remember that when we negotiated your ambo agreement, we told the government that within 12 months we desperately need to see ambulance ramping under control, with a maximum delay of 60 minutes.

Initial talks have been positive, and the Department have told us that 60 minutes is only the first step – with an aim to move towards 30. It’s a good goal, but it’s something that probably seems far-off for those of you on the ground right now.

There’s a notion we’ve heard floating about that ending ramping won’t immediately fix the capacity and flow issues that plague our hospitals. That may well be true, but right now you’re covering for a system that needs to be properly invested in to fix years of neglect and political band aids – and ending ramping is a big part of fixing that.

We’ll continue to work with everyone involved to get ambulances doing what the community and workers expect them to do: be available to attend calls for urgent medical assistance.

We’ll also be out to you soon for a chat and to show you our reporting tool that we’re working on which will see you able to report ramping in real time.

You’ve told us that you’ve also been handling inappropriate requests about patient interventions. You need to know who the patient is officially under the care of, your own CPGs and the current transfer of care delay policy – so please don’t accept the line that ‘things just need to happen’ because we don’t want to see you at risk.

Finally, we’re working hard on getting more permanent positions and we’ll have a draft submission for the parliamentary inquiry into ramping for your review and feedback soon too.

If you want to know more about any of these issues, make sure you get in touch with us on 1300 880 032 or via assist@hacsu.org.au – we’re here for you.