The Illawarra Shoalhaven will get two more Extended Care Paramedic vehicles. Photo: Wikimedia.
NSW Ambulance services will be expanded in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven to help ease pressure on the region’s stretched emergency departments.
A collaboration between NSW Ambulance and the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) will deploy two additional Extended Care Paramedic vehicles, staffed by six Extended Care Paramedics (ECPs) to extend existing models of care.
NSW Ambulance Chief Executive Dr Dominic Morgan said the collaboration was in response to increased demand and to provide more support to patients.
“These additional resources are targeted to the Illawarra and are designed to complement existing services, while ensuring NSW Ambulance continues to meet demand across the state,” Dr Morgan said.
ECPs are trained to provide assessment and treatment in the community, which can help some patients avoid unnecessary trips to hospital emergency departments already under pressure.
The paramedics have additional skills to address a range of low acuity conditions, with a focus on patients with chronic and complex low acuity presentations.
As well, NSW Ambulance will extend monitoring in the Illawarra Shoalhaven area through its Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC).
A NSW Health spokesperson said the VCCC allowed experienced clinicians to assess patients remotely and, where appropriate, connect them with alternative care options such as a GP, pharmacist or other health services.
“This helps ensure patients receive care from the most appropriate provider, while preserving frontline ambulance resources for emergencies,” the spokesperson said.
“The co-designed program, developed following consultation with the Health Services Union, will help to enhance community health care, with a focus on those patients who do not require emergency medical care.”
ISLHD acting chief executive Marg Martin welcomed the additional support from NSW Ambulance to help alleviate system pressure caused by the increasing ageing population and the added pressures on the health system.
“We are working closely with NSW Ambulance to support patients across the Illawarra Shoalhaven and this additional capability will enhance the care available to our community,” Ms Martin said.
The NSW Government is working on a number of measures to relieve pressure on hospitals and address the number of stranded patients awaiting aged care and NDIS placements.
In the Illawarra Shoalhaven, this includes expanding the Aged Care Outreach Service to help avoid hospital trips for vulnerable patients and enable residents in aged care homes to access timely and appropriate clinical care in their home.
