260 extra Queensland ambulance positions funded to meet hospital demand

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An extra 260 Queensland ambulance positions will be funded in next week's budget as hospitals continue to experience huge demand. The AMA has welcomed the news but says it must be coupled with bed funding.

Transcript

00:00 A cash injection to a health system under pressure.

00:06 More paramedics, more support staff, more AMBOs out there taking care of Queenslanders

00:12 when they need it most.

00:13 A week out from the state budget, the Premier revealing there'll be $130 million to fund

00:19 268 extra ambulance staff.

00:23 188 of those will be on the front line by the end of the year.

00:26 The staffing boost, an increase from last year's budget.

00:30 We are a busy ambulance service, we do experience growth, it does make an inordinate difference.

00:34 The latest figures show statewide 45% of patients were on ambulance stretches waiting for an

00:40 ED bed for more than 30 minutes.

00:42 We continue to see huge demand for our hospitals and for our ambulance service and it is really

00:49 important that we make sure when the QAS says we are going to need more front line paramedics

00:55 that government absolutely responds.

00:57 A number of announcements year upon year, minister upon minister, but things are getting

01:03 worse.

01:04 The Australian Medical Association says there are significant pressures and the government's

01:08 announcement is positive.

01:10 However, we do need to ensure that there's adequate beds in our hospital sector.

01:15 At the same time, with beds, we need to ensure that there's adequate workforce to look after

01:19 those patients in the beds.

01:21 Associate Professor Malcolm Boyle was a paramedic for three decades.

01:25 I think when you look at the context of the health system, it's probably a bit more of

01:29 a band-aid approach.

01:30 To me it's just one part of a bigger system that needs to be looked at.

01:34 Health is always a key focus of the budget and when pressed on other issues, the Treasurer

01:39 remained coy.

01:40 Not long to wait, seven days, in fact it's 148 hours.

01:44 The opposition pledged an LNP government would honour whatever's promised.

01:48 Anything that's put in the budget over the forward estimates, capital projects, social

01:53 services, you won't touch that when you come to government, if you win government.

01:57 And that's how it should be.

01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended