Surviving Ambulance Ramping: Impact on YOUR business

Updated: Jun 27

Have you noticed? Ambulance ramping is at crisis point and the dire consequences are back in the media. We have seen the system continue to perform poorly to be able to support our community. Recently a single mother from Qld, passing away after waiting for an ambulance for over 1.5 hours, that never came. We continue to see media coverage reporting that Ambulance ramping is worst in South Australia, with Queensland following very close behind. All states are experiencing an all-time high ambulance ramping crisis.

According to the AMA Ambulance Ramping 2023 report:

Australia is experiencing unforeseen levels of ramping, with reports of people needing to be driven to the emergency department as there are no available ambulances, and people dying waiting for an ambulance.

I would like to take a moment here to praise our paramedics. This is not a fault of our workers, it is the system. We've heard desperate stories in the media, that paramedics are so personally concerned about the system, that some have used their own vehicles to transport patients to hospital. That certainly is dire, and clearly shows the dedication and passion of these amazing people.

This is all shocking, however is the current reality.

You might be wondering, how does that affect you? How does it affect your business?

The cold hard truth is this has ENORMOUS impact to you and your business!

You are thinking, how so?

In the past, if a critical incident occurred at your workplace, you could call ‘000’ and reliably know that help was not far away.

In November 2023 – is that the case? Can you count on that?

Sadly – what we are hearing is a resounding no! There is little confidence that your ‘000’ call might even be answered!

Workplace safety needs to be a priority even more so now, with the stress on our emergency services. A few workplace statistics to put things into perspective for you.

25,000 out of hospital Cardiac Arrests happen every year in Australia, chance of survival is 12% of less if there is a delay in providing life saving measures such as CPR. (Medical Journal Australia)
560,000 Workplace injuries occur every year and 52% result in workers compensation claims (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare)
Code 1 (life threatening) calls can be waiting 1 -2 hours for an ambulance to arrive in Brisbane (ABC)
A casualty requiring CPR will be brain dead within 4-6 minutes if CPR is not performed.
A casualty with an arterial bleed will bleed out in 3-4 minutes.
A casualty experiencing an anaphylaxis emergency needs immediate first aid response.
Choking and drowning are both silent first aid emergencies and first aid must be administered immediately. There is no time to wait for the 'first aid person' on duty to arrive.

Where does that put you, in terms of risk? Do you have enough First Aid trained staff?

This is what we do know:-

Our hospital systems are in crisis - Why?

Here is a snippet of what has happened in the past - Is it continuing?

According to News.com.au – “Police attending calls of people threatening suicide has jumped 58 percent in six years” and “almost 1000 calls per week from people threatening suicide”. When Ambulance services are overwhelmed, Police services are stepping up where they can help.

Combine both the physical and mental health impacts to our community during and post pandemic and this is causing enormous strain on our medical services and contributing to the ramping issues we are witnessing.

AMA report (November 2023)

Australia's health system is continuing to fail patients suffering from poor mental health, with more patients needing acute care and facing long waits in emergency departments.

The ramping crisis is continuing as the hospitals simply do not have the in-patient capacity for the current needs of the community.

Until there is national overhaul to the system, we need to work together to find ways to manage through this crisis.

Here's some ideas to manage through the Ambulance ramping crisis:

What can buy you time until emergency services arrive? – A Defibrillator. Is a must have lifesaving piece of equipment in your workplace – just more important than ever. Do you have one or nearby access to one?
The mental health impacts are present and evidently rising – are you doing enough to support your team? Are you paving a way to build resilience within your teams? Boosting communication strategies?
Has a hybrid model of working from home impacted your workplace to ensure there still is a suitable number of First Aid Officers to be physically available on site in the event of an emergency?
Are you acutely aware of the early signs of burnout in your team and have the strategies in place to support?

Let us help you

We can review your First Aid equipment and supplies and make reasonable suggestions to help get your gear up to code.
We can review your trained staff ratio’s and ensure that you are meeting legislated workplace health and safety regulations.
We provide streamlined training to ensure your workers are best prepared to manage an emergency. Training is relevant and fun with minimal downtime.
Our 30, 60 and 90 minute Mental Health and Well-being Programs will provide your staff the support they need to adapt and cope with change.