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:

1. Management structure and staff responsibilities;
2. Staff recruitment, training and retention;
3. Staff occupational health and safety issues;
4. Operational health and safety issues; and
5. Any other related matter.

The Inquiry ran for some five months and the GPSC2 released its report in October 2008 containing 45 recommendations. Details of the Inquiry including the final report, hearing transcripts and those submissions which were not suppressed or classified as confidential may be seen by accessing the following website: www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/gpsc2.

The ASNSW in May 2009 issued its initial response to the Inquiry noting that it was progressing the implementation of several initiatives based on the submissions, hearings and Inquiry recommendations. NSW Health has also developed a new Health Action Plan, which includes initiatives specifically affecting the management and operation of the ASNSW.

The Inquiry included a proposal that a monitoring review be undertaken by the GPSC2 to ascertain whether effective action had been taken to address the Inquiry recommendations. ACAP has responded to the Committee’s call for monitoring feedback and in January 2010 prepared a submission to the GPSC2 entitled Window dressing or real change based on member feedback.

In preparing the submission ACAP sought the views of more than 1000 NSW members and their perceptions of the organisational changes since the October 2008 Report of the GPSC2 Inquiry.

The confidential oral and written replies from the perspective of respondents drawn from different levels and locations throughout the ASNSW provided a deeper insight into the perceptions of change (or otherwise) within the Service. These perceptions were not uniform and in some areas differed from formal policy views, pointing to possible misperceptions; continued workforce tensions and the need for better internal communications.

Giving credit where it is due, the ACAP submission also noted the substantial progress that appears to have been made in addressing the recommendations of the GPSC2.

The ACAP submission not only reported on apparent progress with the specific issues raised by the GPSC2 recommendations but also made related observations intended to remove some of the root causes for the potential abuse of power and to facilitate changes intended to get the system right – so it works fairly and properly for everyone – every time. Among these perceived issues were:

1. The need for independent accreditation of the ASNSW;
2. The need for independent national registration of Paramedics;
3. The need for independent and community engaged investigation and fitness-to-practice regimes;
4. Wider recognition of EMS as a discrete field of emergency out of hospital health care;
5. The need for a harmonised national stream of funding;
6. Greater focus on an integrated educational and clinical practices approach; and
7. National recognition of Paramedical practice as an Allied Health Profession.

View the ACAP Submission