Due to new and innovative integrated care services, more Tasmanians are now receiving appropriate care in the community and not requiring hospitalisation, taking pressure off health staff at our major hospitals and Emergency Departments.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government is continuing to invest record funding in our health system, and we are taking the opportunity to fund new, innovative services which provide highest quality care to Tasmanians while easing pressure on health staff at our busy hospitals and Emergency Departments.
That's why the Tasmanian Liberal Government has been backing in Ambulance Tasmania with more resources and boosting the workforce and we are now seeing the positive results that these services are delivering right across the State.
Since starting in August, Ambulance Tasmania's new Community Paramedics have attended to 576 cases across Tasmania, with 60 per cent of these patients receiving appropriate care in the community and not requiring a trip to the hospital.
Our Community Paramedic model, which is the first of its kind in Australia, sees 9 trained paramedics provide 16-hour coverage each day in Launceston, Hobart and Ulverstone, is already providing more appropriate care options and pathways for lower-acuity patients.
Further successful initiatives include our Secondary Triage service and the recently introduced My Emergency Doctor telemedicine resource, which provides alternative clinical care pathways for people who have dialled Triple Zero but may not require an ambulance.
Since September 1, My Emergency Doctor has provided telemedicine care to 73 patients with 83 per cent of those patients avoiding hospital. This is a great result in such a short space of time. Additionally, over 10,000 triages have been completed since Secondary Triage commenced in February 2021, with 38 per cent not requiring an ambulance.
We know that in some cases, hospital is not necessarily the most appropriate nor effective pathway, and these new innovative programs are providing specialist paramedic or health care services to better meet the needs of these patients by providing quality care to patients within the community - while freeing up our Ambulances and EDs for emergencies.
Finally, 11 new paramedics are currently being inducted into Ambulance Tasmania and will be joining Huonville and Sorell Stations in the near future. These new paramedics are on top of the 48 additional paramedics that we have delivered since 2021 providing an extra boost to our rural and regional areas.
It's clear that these innovative models are working – and as a result more Tasmanians are receiving the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government will continue boosting resources, bolstering our workforce and backing in Ambulance Tasmania.
