New paramedic role to support Qld’s most remote communities
The Queensland Government is to deliver easier access to health services with experienced paramedics set to be able to work in remote hospitals and health services from April.
The new Remote Hospitals Paramedic role will operate in Queensland’s most remote towns, strengthening frontline care and supporting local health services to respond to workforce shortages in rural and remote communities.
When Remote Hospitals Paramedics are not responding to emergencies in the community, they will be able to work collaboratively alongside doctors, nurses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers to deliver more care closer to home.
Under the new model, these paramedics will deliver both primary and emergency care in Queensland Health’s remote health services including hospitals, general practices, residential aged care facilities, and primary health care clinics.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Government was delivering easier access to health services for all Queenslanders.
“These targeted reforms are about fixing a system under strain after a decade of neglect, and restoring easier access to health services for rural, regional and remote Queenslanders,’ Minister Nicholls said.
“Traditional workforce models alone are not meeting the needs of our most remote communities, which is why we are backing new and flexible ways of delivering care.
“The nation-leading Paramedic, Remote Hospitals model will give remote hospitals and health services greater flexibility to respond to local health needs and workforce challenges, and ultimately, improve access to care.
“Paramedics are highly trained clinicians with strong skills in assessment and acute care, and those skills are incredibly valuable in remote hospitals and clinics where clinicians must manage a wide range of health presentations.”
Challenges
The first Queensland Health Remote Hospitals Paramedics are expected to commence mid-year.
The initiative, the government has said, responds directly to findings from the Government’s Workforce Gap Analysis.
The Analysis revealed that 72 per cent of workforce growth over the past 10 years occurred primarily in metropolitan areas, while rural and remote Queensland was left facing mounting shortages.
Although the Analysis found no workforce gaps for Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics in South Queensland, it showed challenges persisted in attracting and retaining paramedics in rural and remote communities under conventional workforce models.
Where in Queensland
Nine Queensland Health HHSs have facilities in areas classified as remote and very remote and will be able to employ paramedics within their facilities under the Directive.
These include:
- Cairns and Hinterland HHS
- Central Queensland HHS
- Central West HHS
- Darling Downs HHS
- Mackay HHS
- North West HHS
- South West HHS
- Torres and Cape HHS
- Townsville HHS
