The following submissions are provided on behalf of the Paramedics Australasia (PA). PA continues to advocate for the interests of student paramedics in areas relating to clinical training, workforce innovation and the progression of paramedics through expanding roles and responsibilities. On behalf of its members, SPA is responsible for addressing issues faced by paramedic students across the country. Your contributions will be heard, and we encourage you to email us with your thoughts:
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. To view all submissions from PA, visit their website here.
Health Workforce Australia (HWA) is a Commonwealth statutory authority et up by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and reports to the Australian Health Ministers’ Conference (AHMC). Its mandate is to to address the challenges of providing a skilled, flexible and innovative health workforce that meets the needs of the Australian community.
How life-like are your University's clinical scenarios? Do you feel adequately prepared for clinical placements?
Paramedics must deal with life and death and make routine clinical decisions on a daily basis, administer life-saving medications and perform other invasive clinical interventions.
Unfortunately there are strong indications of a growing imbalance or mismatch between the industry capacity or willingness to provide clinical placements and the increasing number of student paramedics currently studying in universities throughout Australia.
Improving the pathways of care through clinical engagement and collaborative action.
The government has proposed the creation of Lead Clinician Groups with representatives from various disciplines to provide guidance and leadership on clinical issues. The government's discussion paper says clinician groups are being set up at a cost of $56 million in response to concerns from clinicians that they would have no voice in decisions about delivery of health care. One of their main functions will be to encourage the adoption of ‘best practice’ care at local and national levels. The groups will also give input into service planning and delivery, and encourage better integration of medical services from different sectors.
As part of SPA's role as student advocates, our director Pauline Murcott, has put together a submission towards the Clinical Supervisor Support Program (CSSP), which was organised by Health Workforce Australia (HWA).
Key issues addressed in this paper include:
Regulatory matters form significant areas of concern to the paramedic profession with the current absence of a national regulatory framework for paramedics in Australia. Given the implications of trans-Tasman professional interactions, and the proposed registration of paramedics in New Zealand, the question of appropriate criteria for statutory regulation is thus a matter of particular interest. Since September 2004, New Zealand health practitioners have been regulated under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 (HPCAA). The HPCAA brought all previously registered health professions (with separate statutes), under a single regulatory framework.
In May 2008, the NSW Legislative Council General Purpose Standing Committee No. 2 (GPSC2) commenced an Inquiry into the management and operations of the Ambulance Service of NSW (ASNSW). The terms of reference of the Inquiry were: That the General Purpose Standing Committee No. 2 inquire into and report on the management and operations of the NSW Ambulance Service, and in particular:
The National Health Workforce Taskforce (NHWT) was implemented under a COAG initiative to undertake projects which inform development of practical solutions on workforce innovation and reform. The NHWT is hosted by the Victorian Department of Human Services in Melbourne. It is a national body created under the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council (AHMAC) committee structures and reports directly to the Chair of AHMAC’s Health Workforce Principal Committee (HWPC).
