Paramedics Diverted to Wealthy Suburbs, Patients at Risk

Western Sydney communities are being put at risk, with paramedic response times being delayed because they are plugging gaps in other suburbs.

The Health Services Union is warning communities are being short-changed in a dangerous way, because of rostering failures.

In some communities in the Greater Sydney area, wait times for an ambulance during a 'Priority 1' lights and sirens job is nearly 20 minutes. That can be a matter of life and death.

Members of the Health Services Union say staffing levels and crews being diverted to plug gaps elsewhere are major contributing factors to this lapse in response times.

"This is not about asking the state government for more money. The money is already there. NSW Ambulance was allocated $1.76 billion over four years to increase paramedic numbers and fill rosters, but that's not happening," Health Services Secretary Secretary Gerard Hayes said.

HSU members are urging the NSW Government and Ministry of Health to direct NSW Ambulance to use the funding appropriately by back-filling the rosters for paramedics.

Members and delegates are meeting with local MPs across the state to push for immediate action.

"The NSW Government must act now to protect patient safety and ensure that taxpayer money is used as intended; to provide fully staffed, sustainable paramedic services that meet the needs of the people of New South Wales.

"What we are seeing is that some crews are considered "extra" under the current model, and they aren't replaced if they can't make their shift. They weren't intended to be extras, they are life-saving positions and they should be back-filled so communities don't go without," Gerard Hayes said.

The people of New South Wales were promised 1,800 additional paramedics over four years under the previous government. And the current Labor government has committed to 500 more regional paramedics.

"When the government funds three paramedic crews in a community, that community deserves to have three paramedic crews available—not fewer," Alex McAnulty, a HSU delegate from Western Sydney stated.

NSW Ambulance, through the Planned Ambulance Rosters (PAR) system, routinely redirects paramedic crews in funded areas with poorer health outcomes, such as South West Sydney, to more affluent areas including Sydney's east and south east.

"This isn't just mismanagement—it's an unjust redistribution of resources away from the communities that need them the most," the delegate continued.

"People in Western and South West Sydney are paying taxes to fund their own paramedic crews, only to see those crews sent elsewhere."

The Human Cost of Poor Staffing Practices

This failure to maintain staffing levels has devastating consequences:

• Delayed emergency responses: Fewer paramedics on duty mean longer wait times for ambulances, which can result in preventable deaths.

• Increased strain on paramedics: Fatigue and burnout are at crisis levels, with paramedics forced to work overtime, often past their 12-hour shifts without breaks.

• Greater pressure on hospitals: Paramedics do more than transport patients—they provide critical care that can prevent hospital presentations. When ambulance services are stretched too thin, more patients flood emergency departments.

Movement of Crews Comparisons

*Based off data from Bureau of Health Information