Paramedics delayed and in danger, union warns

Paramedics are in danger and response times are increasing because ambulance tracking software is out of date and unreliable, the Australian Paramedics Association New South Wales (APANSW) says, according to an ABC report.

The union surveyed 427 frontline paramedics in metro and regional areas and discovered 94 per cent had experienced problems with the GPS system, while 56 per cent said it incorrectly tracked their location on a regular basis.
The system, which operates on the 2G phone network, is designed to pin-point the locations of ambulances so controllers can dispatch the closest one to an emergency situation.
Accurate location information can also help police find paramedics who activate their duress alarms if they are being attacked on the job.
However, the APANSW claims the system is frequently failing to register when an ambulance moves and in some cases has placed vehicles up to 50 kilometres from their actual location.
APANSW President Steve Pearce said the system was outdated.
"The technology that they are working with, in terms of computer servers, is some 12 years old," he said.
"It's clearly not good enough, it needs to be upgraded to the latest technology so our paramedics and the community are safe."
Mr Pearce said dispatch officers working in the control centre had reported ambulances "disappearing" from their screens.
"If we're not getting to certain life threatening conditions quickly people will die if there are delays, that's a risk that's in play now," he said.

Upgrades on the way: NSW Ambulance

Steve Pearce and other APANSW representatives met with NSW Ambulance officials on Thursday to discuss the problem and look at solutions being developed.
NSW Ambulance released a statement saying the NSW Government is spending $20 million over two years to help upgrade the Mobile Data Terminal Network, with the first stage expected to be completed in December.
"The project has assessed a range of additional technologies to be implemented into ambulance vehicles including WiFi capability, which will further improve interoperability and support frontline paramedics in mission critical communications," the statement said.
"The current duress functionality is also being refreshed as part of the upgrade work being undertaken in stage one.
"In May and June 2016, NSW Ambulance commissioned a radio frequency engineer consultant to undertake a review of the functionality and operational state of the existing vehicle [tracking] and duress system."
NSW Ambulance is currently considering four recommendations made by the engineer.
However, he APANSW said waiting until the end of the year for the first stage of the upgrade was unacceptable.

"We see this as a crisis that needs to be sorted out as quickly as possible," Mr Pearce said.

"We understand there are technical things that need to happen but if it's a matter of money it just needs to be spent."
The union wants the State Government to give the issue its attention too.
"[The tracking system] is failing nearly every day and we have just come to a point where it's really important that the Health Minister and the Premier intervene," Mr Pearce said.
Health Minister Jillian Skinner declined to comment and pointed the ABC to the response from NSW Ambulance.
This article was originally published by ABC news.