2021 AEAWA Minutes
AEAWA Paramedic JCC Minutes for 21st December, 2021
Meeting Date
13:00-15:20 on December 21, 2021
Committee Attendee’s
John Thomas, Lee Waller and Dave Abbott
Committee Apologies
Donelle Carver and Dave Higgins
Incidents of violence and aggression
A committee is to be formed to combat incidents of violence and aggression directed towards ambulance personnel. This training will be provided by peers and external resources. The AEAWA responded in regard to the previous meetings as the OSH representative that he believed SJA and the parties had reached a position where external providers were sourced to provide de-escalation techniques. This was advised by SJA that this was not the case and that the intention was to ‘train’ peers to deliver the program. The AEAWA are supportive of de-escalation training however, the AEAWA will not accept our members who get assaulted being held accountable for the actions of a violent patient or bystander, nor will we support an initiative in which SJA can ‘hang out’ the crew for being assaulted.
We are the only state in Australia that hasn’t had training in de-escalation techniques. The AEAWA reminded SJA that we are the ONLY service in Australia that has NOT provided Professional Violence and Aggression training to employees.
SJA employing yet another manager
Appointment of the CP Manager. SJA have felt the need to employ another manager for this group. SJA were made aware that in accordance with the Report on Government Services SJA are the most heavily managed ambulance service, these Government statistics were from 2 years ago (with 65% of employed staff being on road or in SOC). That was before the new senior management appointments. SJA believe they require more managers to make the business run appropriately. The AEAWA strongly stated that more ‘on road’ and in ‘SOC’ resources are required. In essence what will managers do for the community of Western Australia who are waiting 4 hours for an ambulance?
More Country Paramedics
WACHS wanting more paramedics in the country regions. At this stage discussions between SJA and WACHS are occurring on where these resources should go and how many are required. Difficulty is WACHS want to fund these positions for two years, were once resources are placed into an area both SJA and the AEAWA want them to remain there. At this stage it looks like a mixture of paramedics, community paramedics or even PTOs. The AEAWA will seek further discussions with WACHS regarding these resources.
More Managers
SJA wanted to outline their new management structure. This recruitment of greater numbers of managers is for SJA to identify ‘inefficiencies’. This was met with an unfavourable response, SJA appear to be able to put management positions together extremely quickly, but never seem to boost the employees in green.
Hospital Liaison Managers
Hospital Liaison Managers are being supported and SJA believe that these positions are making a difference. The AEAWA do not agree with this statement. Our members believe that ramping is getting worse, and that the role CAN NOT reduce these issues. It is a wider health systemic issue.
Taking patients for x-rays whilst ramped
Whilst on the ramp ambulance crews are basically becoming hospital workers; taking patients for x-rays and other testing areas within the hospitals. The AEAWA believe that this is a hospitals job, taking patients through the hospital system IS NOT and ambulance role, there are no policies on what to do, it has not been ergonomically assessed and what happens if the patient deteriorates. If a patient goes into these procedures, WE ARE NOT IN WITH THEM! How do we do observations and how do we assess the patient, who is responsible when the patient deteriorates.
Single Officers tasked to be a ramping officer
SJA is tasking single employees to become solo ramping paramedics. The AEAWA is amazed SJA is allowing this to happen. Patients are not being admitted into the hospital as it is too busy and the AMA believe taking care of multiple patients during these times presents significant clinical risk, however SJA believe that risk can just simply be placed onto single officers.
The AEAWA will not and never will support a single officer being on the ramp as this goes against all current policies written by the organisation. The clinical risk is too high.
Stryker Stretcher Update
LMS training has been in place for the current Ferno F50 stretchers which most staff have completed. There is a purchase order for 83 Stryker stretchers which will be arriving in 3 months and more will follow, The rollout will be initially for ‘new builds’ only as workshops require time to refit the current
vehicles. The training will commence shortly.
Duty Manager CAD Updates
Duty Manager Sending Out Information on CAD Regarding No Back Ups. SJA to review.
Pre Shift Checks
The AEAWA have asked SJA for the ‘minimum requirement for shift start’ for years as our members have come to work 15mins early to check vehicles so they could be available for 07:00 jobs and at no cost. Management were advised that officer’s shifts commence at certain times 0700 & 1800 and then vehicle checks, drug reconciliation etc. take place. Also if crews are dispatched without opportunity to check vehicles who is responsible for failed defibrillation or missing equipment etc. As SJA appear extremely unsupportive to the membership, the committee and its members now feel that this good will has ended. SJA advised the minimum a crew should be doing is the drug check, and a defibrillation check on the Corpuls3 to ensure monitor is operational. It was estimated by SJA that this check should take 4-5minutes. We have asked SJA to provide that detail in writing.
Xmas cancellation of shift party’s and hampers
This was the CEO’s decision and all Directors stood by it. AEAWA made it VERY clear that this was a very poor decision and has had a major negative impact on moral State wide amongst all operational Staff. This decision was made worse with the announcement of a Xmas function for “Friends of SJA” plus all Directors received Xmas hampers.
Next Meeting
TBA
AEAWA Committee Minutes for 27th October, 2021
Meeting Officially Opened by the President and the Executive Committee
09:00-15:00 on October 27th 2021
Committee Attendee’s
John Thomas, Donelle Carver, Lee Waller, Dave Higgins, Mike Hardwick, Dave Abbott, Conrad Fairhead, Gary Davies (Teams) and Dave Bryant (Teams).
Committee Apologies
Marty Kelly
Previous Minutes
Passed by Dave Higgins and Conrad Fairhead
AEAWA Membership
There has been a total of 21 new members signed this month.
AEAWA Treasurer Repot
The AEAWA Treasurer Marty Kelly has resigned from the organisation and therefore the AEAWA Executive Committee. We wish Marty all the best in his new career and would like to thank him for all the time and commitment he has personally invested. The AEAWA accounts are in a strong position and all expenses were presented to the committee. The process of appointing a new treasurer will occur at the upcoming AGM (to be announced soon). The interim AEAWA Treasurer will until the new position is appointed will be Lee Waller.
In line with the AEAWA Constitution access to the AEAWA accounts have been rescinded for the previous Treasurer and on advice from the AEAWA Lawyer, the number of signatures is to be increased to four, in line with current legislation. Those signatories will be the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and a member of the AEAWA Executive.
Current EBA Negotiations
The AEAWA discussed the latest SJA offers for both the Ambulance Officers/ Paramedics and the Transport Certified Agreements.
The Ambulance Officers/Paramedics Offer from SJA
Although there appears to be some movement across the agreements, there is some confusion regarding the proposed and accepted Transport Medic inclusion. SJA believe if the Transport Medic is accepted then the AEAWA should effectively remove items from the log of claims. Those items being resting facilities, meal breaks, shift extensions and pre shift vehicle checks because employing these Transport Medics will alleviate pressures on the paramedic workforce, especially when it comes to performing the pre-shift checks.
The AEAWA believe this will not be the case. How will a multitude of Transport Paramedics who can not respond to P1 calls assist paramedics performing vehicle checks when the ProQA P1s are banking up. The AEAWA will hold firm on the pre shift checks to protect our membership responding to calls if something goes wrong. The other issue is the Transport Medic WAS NOT part of the AEAWA negations log of claims, it was actually a better suggestion to the extremely unpalatable CAMC model originally proposed by the organisation at the start of bargaining. The AEAWA presented this option as a better alternative. The committee is to raise this concern at the upcoming EBA meeting.
Pre-Shift Checks
Once again in order for SJA to embrace the Transport Medic Model (which was actually a better version of their proposed model), the AEAWA were asked to drop the pre-check component of the claim. Effectively leaving all crews across the state to respond to priority calls the second your shift starts.
So basically, if you take the call immediately without doing the checks and something goes wrong, guess what…. You will be in breach of the Policy (you know…the one you can never find on connect, and the same one that changes on a weekly basis) and if you do not respond immediately to abide by this policy and check your vehicle before attending the call, guess what… You’re in the clear with those policies, but now you’re in breach of policy for not responding to the call in the allocated time. On the balance of probabilities, the AEAWA believe this is grossly unfair. This remains an open item during the EBA negotiations.
The AEAWA are happy and prepared to attend the Fair Work Commission over this matter to obtain a ruling.
The Ambulance Transport Offer from SJA
A recent offer was sent to the AEAWA for the Transport Officers EBA negotiations. Although there is some agreeance between the parties surrounding the claim, there are still some matters that need to be addressed in order to negotiate a fair agreement for the membership. Those being.
Working with an Ambulance Paramedic or Ambulance Officer (New Clause)
The AEAWA are not happy with this statement contained in the offer ‘the parties agree that in the event of an emergency and at the direction of the Chief Executive Officer (or their delegate), St John retains the ability to take reasonable measures to ensure the continuous provision of ambulance services and pre-hospital care’.
There have been issues in the past with SJA’s definition of ‘reasonable’. The Committee still have had no conformation from the organisation on the definition of a ‘reasonable’ shift extension? Is it 30-minutes? 4 hours? A week? There is no definition of a ‘reasonable’ time in which to receive an email response from SJA, some members have waited over 9-weeks for an email response from various departments. Reasonable is not a term we are happy with given the history.
Besides that, this inclusion effectively means that during times of ramping paramedics could be teamed up with Transport Medics to run the shift, simply because its reasonable, or if 6 crews book off, our crew configuration could change as a manger decides that being 6 crews down will ‘ensure the continuous provision of ambulance services and pre-hospital care’. Many of you reading this would think the same as we do…… These two emergencies of crisis occur everyday!
There is too much flexibility for SJA in this wording to undermine our Certified Agreement and hard-fought negotiated conditions, and this could potentially introduce significant roster changes and crew configurations.
Hours of Work Clause
Although SJA have stated the proposed Transport Medics will eventually work 24/7, there is no plan or assigned future discussions relating to this position? Where they will be located? How many of them will be implemented and what hours will they cover? The committee believes that removing items from our log of claims that address membership concerns for a role (with no collaborative planning) to be placed into our Certified Agreement could have dire consequences. Everything about this proposed position could be changed at any time.
Medic Work Limitations
SJA has included some terminology around the Transport Medic position. Effectively the organisation deems an urgent response to mean ‘an urgent, time critical response is required, however it is not considered an emergency or potentially life-threatening emergency’. This terminology gives SJA the ability to diminish the paramedic workforce and have medics respond to priority 1 calls. Throughout the negotiations this is something the AEAWA is not in favour of. It undermines the paramedic workforce, depletes our paramedic numbers and does not provide the community of Western Australia with the best ambulance service.
We need to ensure that this proposed model does not end up being the recently removed SJA CAMC model. In which we will eventually see a significant reduction of newly appointed paramedics.
The AEAWA are to respond to SJA at the next negotiations meeting.
General Business
AEAWA Executive Committee Appointee
Conrad Fairhead who has been a committee member for 3 years has been appointed to the AEAWA Executive Committee.
AEAWA SOC Committee Appointee
Liz Jaggard has been appointed to the SOC Committee and will be one of the shift representatives for Blue Shift
Parliamentary Standing Committee
As you will be aware the AEAWA Executive Committee met with the Standing Committee for yet another Ambulance Service review. Questions from response times, resourcing, depot locations along with many other service issues were discussed. The AEAWA submission for the inquiry was compiled by the Executive Committee and included issues raised by 216 members (that emailed their concerns to us). That information assisted the committee in answering numerous pointed questions on the day. Members are urged to watch these hearings which are now linked from the AEAWA home page.
AEAWA Donation
On behalf of the AEAWA membership a contribution was made for one of our members to assist him and his family through an extremely difficult time. For those of you who wish to contribute in some way financially a ‘go fund me’ page has been set up to assist and can be accessed by clicking here.
AEAWA Special Leave Donation
Leading on from the above item a proposal has been put together by the Committee to also assist this officer and his family as further time off work will most likely be required. Further detail will be provided around how this will work soon. This proposed bank of hours will also be made available to officers who also go through significant events in order to alleviate financial stress during extremely difficult times.
AEAWA Premises
The Committee are currently looking for a premises for the AEAWA to work from, along with full-time office personnel. The Committee strongly believe that with the workload the way it is (and it is increasing), we want to truly support our members in every way we can and believes that employing staff within an AEAWA premises will see that support continuing into the future.
Metro Station Manager Confusion
Numerous SMs have contacted the AEAWA regarding the Station manager disparity caused by the recently introduced pilot. Some SMs are reviewing P8 cards to return to their depots to complete their reports and are being left for the duration of the role they are performing. Others are being denied P8 cards or are called out to respond 2 minutes after being there. Feedback was provided to SJA relating to this matter but like most concerns are rarely addressed. The AEAWA will write to SJA Senior Management regarding this matter, and we are of the belief that until this matter is resolved the status quo regarding SMs should remain.
Transport Managers Questions Regarding Special Leave
Members contacted the committee over concerns they are being asked by management why they are applying for special leave, some of these directed questions are far out of what most would deem reasonable. The AEAWA will write to SJA to ascertain why these extra questions are being asked. In the meantime if any officers are contacted and they become concerned they are to contact an AEA delegate immediately.
Next Committee Meeting
The AEAWA Committee will meet again Thursday 4th November 2021 (09:00-11:00).
Meeting officially closed by the President
The Committee will re-convene in two weeks’ time.
AEAWA Committee Minutes for 27th October, 2021
Meeting officially officially opened by the President and the Executive Committee
09:00-15:00 on October 27th 2021
Committee Attendee’s
John Thomas, Donelle Carver, Lee Waller, Dave Higgins, Mike Hardwick, Dave Abbott, Conrad Fairhead, Gary Davies (Teams) and Dave Bryant (Teams).
Committee Apologies
Marty Kelly
Previous Minutes
Passed by Dave Higgins and Conrad Fairhead
AEAWA Membership
There has been a total of 21 new members signed this month.
AEAWA Treasurer Repot
The AEAWA Treasurer Marty Kelly has resigned from the organisation and therefore the AEAWA Executive Committee. We wish Marty all the best in his new career and would like to thank him for all the time and commitment he has personally invested. The AEAWA accounts are in a strong position and all expenses were presented to the committee. The process of appointing a new treasurer will occur at the upcoming AGM (to be announced soon). The interim AEAWA Treasurer will until the new position is appointed will be Lee Waller.
In line with the AEAWA Constitution access to the AEAWA accounts have been rescinded for the previous Treasurer and on advice from the AEAWA Lawyer, the number of signatures is to be increased to four, in line with current legislation. Those signatories will be the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and a member of the AEAWA Executive.
Current EBA Negotiations
The AEAWA discussed the latest SJA offers for both the Ambulance Officers/ Paramedics and the Transport Certified Agreements.
The Ambulance Officers/Paramedics Offer from SJA
Although there appears to be some movement across the agreements, there is some confusion regarding the proposed and accepted Transport Medic inclusion. SJA believe if the Transport Medic is accepted then the AEAWA should effectively remove items from the log of claims. Those items being resting facilities, meal breaks, shift extensions and pre shift vehicle checks because employing these Transport Medics will alleviate pressures on the paramedic workforce, especially when it comes to performing the pre-shift checks.
The AEAWA believe this will not be the case. How will a multitude of Transport Paramedics who can not respond to P1 calls assist paramedics performing vehicle checks when the ProQA P1s are banking up. The AEAWA will hold firm on the pre shift checks to protect our membership responding to calls if something goes wrong. The other issue is the Transport Medic WAS NOT part of the AEAWA negations log of claims, it was actually a better suggestion to the extremely unpalatable CAMC model originally proposed by the organisation at the start of bargaining. The AEAWA presented this option as a better alternative. The committee is to raise this concern at the upcoming EBA meeting.
Pre-Shift Checks
Once again in order for SJA to embrace the Transport Medic Model (which was actually a better version of their proposed model), the AEAWA were asked to drop the pre-check component of the claim. Effectively leaving all crews across the state to respond to priority calls the second your shift starts.
So basically, if you take the call immediately without doing the checks and something goes wrong, guess what…. You will be in breach of the Policy (you know…the one you can never find on connect, and the same one that changes on a weekly basis) and if you do not respond immediately to abide by this policy and check your vehicle before attending the call, guess what… You’re in the clear with those policies, but now you’re in breach of policy for not responding to the call in the allocated time. On the balance of probabilities, the AEAWA believe this is grossly unfair. This remains an open item during the EBA negotiations.
The AEAWA are happy and prepared to attend the Fair Work Commission over this matter to obtain a ruling.
The Ambulance Transport Offer from SJA
A recent offer was sent to the AEAWA for the Transport Officers EBA negotiations. Although there is some agreeance between the parties surrounding the claim, there are still some matters that need to be addressed in order to negotiate a fair agreement for the membership. Those being.
Working with an Ambulance Paramedic or Ambulance Officer (New Clause)
The AEAWA are not happy with this statement contained in the offer ‘the parties agree that in the event of an emergency and at the direction of the Chief Executive Officer (or their delegate), St John retains the ability to take reasonable measures to ensure the continuous provision of ambulance services and pre-hospital care’.
There have been issues in the past with SJA’s definition of ‘reasonable’. The Committee still have had no conformation from the organisation on the definition of a ‘reasonable’ shift extension? Is it 30-minutes? 4 hours? A week? There is no definition of a ‘reasonable’ time in which to receive an email response from SJA, some members have waited over 9-weeks for an email response from various departments. Reasonable is not a term we are happy with given the history.
Besides that, this inclusion effectively means that during times of ramping paramedics could be teamed up with Transport Medics to run the shift, simply because its reasonable, or if 6 crews book off, our crew configuration could change as a manger decides that being 6 crews down will ‘ensure the continuous provision of ambulance services and pre-hospital care’. Many of you reading this would think the same as we do…… These two emergencies of crisis occur everyday!
There is too much flexibility for SJA in this wording to undermine our Certified Agreement and hard-fought negotiated conditions, and this could potentially introduce significant roster changes and crew configurations.
Hours of Work Clause
Although SJA have stated the proposed Transport Medics will eventually work 24/7, there is no plan or assigned future discussions relating to this position? Where they will be located? How many of them will be implemented and what hours will they cover? The committee believes that removing items from our log of claims that address membership concerns for a role (with no collaborative planning) to be placed into our Certified Agreement could have dire consequences. Everything about this proposed position could be changed at any time.
Medic Work Limitations
SJA has included some terminology around the Transport Medic position. Effectively the organisation deems an urgent response to mean ‘an urgent, time critical response is required, however it is not considered an emergency or potentially life-threatening emergency’. This terminology gives SJA the ability to diminish the paramedic workforce and have medics respond to priority 1 calls. Throughout the negotiations this is something the AEAWA is not in favour of. It undermines the paramedic workforce, depletes our paramedic numbers and does not provide the community of Western Australia with the best ambulance service.
We need to ensure that this proposed model does not end up being the recently removed SJA CAMC model. In which we will eventually see a significant reduction of newly appointed paramedics.
The AEAWA are to respond to SJA at the next negotiations meeting.
General Business
AEAWA Executive Committee Appointee
Conrad Fairhead who has been a committee member for 3 years has been appointed to the AEAWA Executive Committee.
AEAWA SOC Committee Appointee
Liz Jaggard has been appointed to the SOC Committee and will be one of the shift representatives for Blue Shift
Parliamentary Standing Committee
As you will be aware the AEAWA Executive Committee met with the Standing Committee for yet another Ambulance Service review. Questions from response times, resourcing, depot locations along with many other service issues were discussed. The AEAWA submission for the inquiry was compiled by the Executive Committee and included issues raised by 216 members (that emailed their concerns to us). That information assisted the committee in answering numerous pointed questions on the day. Members are urged to watch these hearings which are now linked from the AEAWA home page.
AEAWA Donation
On behalf of the AEAWA membership a contribution was made for one of our members to assist him and his family through an extremely difficult time. For those of you who wish to contribute in some way financially a ‘go fund me’ page has been set up to assist and can be accessed by clicking here.
AEAWA Special Leave Donation
Leading on from the above item a proposal has been put together by the Committee to also assist this officer and his family as further time off work will most likely be required. Further detail will be provided around how this will work soon. This proposed bank of hours will also be made available to officers who also go through significant events in order to alleviate financial stress during extremely difficult times.
AEAWA Premises
The Committee are currently looking for a premises for the AEAWA to work from, along with full-time office personnel. The Committee strongly believe that with the workload the way it is (and it is increasing), we want to truly support our members in every way we can and believes that employing staff within an AEAWA premises will see that support continuing into the future.
Metro Station Manager Confusion
Numerous SMs have contacted the AEAWA regarding the Station manager disparity caused by the recently introduced pilot. Some SMs are reviewing P8 cards to return to their depots to complete their reports and are being left for the duration of the role they are performing. Others are being denied P8 cards or are called out to respond 2 minutes after being there. Feedback was provided to SJA relating to this matter but like most concerns are rarely addressed. The AEAWA will write to SJA Senior Management regarding this matter, and we are of the belief that until this matter is resolved the status quo regarding SMs should remain.
Transport Managers Questions Regarding Special Leave
Members contacted the committee over concerns they are being asked by management why they are applying for special leave, some of these directed questions are far out of what most would deem reasonable. The AEAWA will write to SJA to ascertain why these extra questions are being asked. In the meantime if any officers are contacted and they become concerned they are to contact an AEA delegate immediately.
Next Committee Meeting
The AEAWA Committee will meet again Thursday 4th November 2021 (09:00-11:00).
Meeting officially closed by the President
The Committee will re-convene in two weeks’ time.
AEAWA Transport Minutes for 4th October, 2021
Meeting for the Transport JCC
10:00 till 12:15:30 on October 4th 2021
Committee Attendee’s
Lee Waller, Dave Higgins, Mike Hardwick and Jon Nobel
Committee Apologies
No AEAWA apologies
JCC Protocol/Welcome and Introduction
Operations Manger, Paul has left the organisation and Team Leader John Backo has been undertaking the position until a new manager is found, interviews have already taken place. SJA would like the new Transport Operations Manager to hold current clinical qualifications.
Vehicle Review
A vehicle review has been undertaken, three new PTS vehicles have come on and another two are in the process to be placed (approx 6 weeks away) and a further two are on order (more likely after to be delivered just after Christmas). SJA state they will further increase the PTS vehicle fleet after further investigation into the fleet.
Rosters
SJA stated it is critical to get the right people into the fulltime and casual transport positions. The Transport Management Team are working with rosters to ensure shifts are being covered. They have stated they have casual employees who do a lot of shifts, but also have casuals that work less frequently. These meetings are occurring every two weeks with the focus on shift coverage and calling in casuals that have not worked on the road for extensive periods.
SJA also stated that for staff who would like to discuss rostering or changes to shifts should discuss those issues with the Transport Team Leaders or with Alan himself. This is due to rosters WILL NOT facilitate the requests and are required to discuss those with the Transport Management Team. In essence you are more likely to get an answer faster by going through your managers for requests.
Clinical Governance
The same fortnightly meetings occur with clinical governance. They discuss SOPs and clinical matters that have been raised by employees.
The College
Meetings also occur every two weeks with the college which are designed for planning and implementation processes. In other words if a Transport Officer school is required ASAP, there is an avenue to do this.
Establishment
The next increase in transport establishment is February next year, after these rosters meetings it was discovered that numbers are diminishing in transport. This is to see if schools can be brought forward. Over the last three months work has taken place on establishment due to SJA struggling to cover shifts. New people are needed in the system. Casuals have been spoken to regarding support and shift availability to see if they can do extra shifts. SJA are not happy with the fulltime to casual ratio, hence why they want to employee more staff especially full timers.
JCC Minutes
Minutes will be published on connect for employees to see.
Mentoring
At a previous JCC meeting it was mentioned why mentoring only occurs on day shifts, they never seem to happen during afternoon or night shifts. SJA came back stating it just happened where rostering was sorted for mentors on days only. However, they do see the need for it to occur across all shifts. The D/A/N configuration for mentoring is currently being discussed with rosters. AEAWA – sometimes staff are not aware that they have a student for that shift. Some notice would be nice so that mentors can be prepared for students. SJA – they will always try to make mentors aware, but they can’t always get to each individual to provide that notice.
Communicating SOPs to Employees
Will be done each week for work related discussions; The new Operations Manager will take this over once the person has been selected.
Observing Shifts
In order to create a more ‘team’ orientated environment it was decided that managers and PTS comms staff would do observing shifts. There are some employees that have not seen the transport on-road component before. Even on-road staff to observe what happens in the communications room. There are many facets of the various roles that could be better understood with these observing shifts.
Baby Capsules
Some Transport members are not happy with the current Baby Harness. SJA had been contacted to review the design. During this meeting Clinical Governance feedback was the current harness is a clinically approved piece of equipment and that there should be no issues using it. The response from Clinical Governance has been requested in writing to both employee groups. The DHS Ped Rest is the item that will replace the current harness and will be a long term roll out at the moment they are only scheduled for the new Stryker vehicles, but later all vehicles this will be fitted in.
AEAWA – Transport Officers SHOULD NEVER place a child in these devices as the designer’s stipulation is they are only to be used under emergency situations.
Updating Connect
A recent update has occurred, members have been struggling to find certain information. There needs to be better connection between management and staff for information dispersal, and many Transport members are stating they are finding information months after it has been released. SJA – the newly appointed Operations Manager will focus on this in detail.
The Radio System
Updated communications regarding radio etiquette, i.e. keeping it short and sweet on the radio than talking too much and taking up the radio channel.
Report Raised
A report on casuals attending shifts after working another job was raised, This had led to officers feeling ‘unsafe’ as the officer had come from a night shift (in another workplace) straight to a day shift with SJA. SJA – stated that this was unsafe and that any officer who feels like their partner is too fatigued to work should raise this. AEAWA – There are volunteers who do that across the state, SJA can not have it both ways. Some volunteers work a full day at their paid employment and then come to volunteer a night shift for SJA.
Wheelchair Kg Limit and SOP
It is updated and on connect and it is 170kg for the limit of the standard SJA wheelchair. A bit more work and investigation around the weight limits will occur. Some officers are not aware of the weight limits which can lead to injuries to both the officers and the patient. SJA – If you believe a patient is too large to move then a call to PTS comms should occur to organise a back up to perform the movement safely.
Community Transport and Inappropriate Jobs
Grayland’s jobs with escorts and interhospital transfers have occurred and some terminally ill patients have been transported. Formed patients (over the last 3 months) have been tasked to with an escort. This is not appropriate, and a review will occur regarding these types of calls. AEAWA – In the interim, if an officer feels the job they have been assigned is not suitable for transport they should discuss this immediately. If they deem that answer to be inappropriate they should contact an AEAWA delegate for further clarification.
Transport Roster Under Metro Guidelines
A brief conversation between a manager and a CATO occurred and the manager stated “no changes can be made to our transport depot in particular (roster changes) because we operate under Metro Guidelines”. This is not the case and SJA will look at any proposed roster changes and assess its suitability against operational guidelines.
Driver Fatigue with Country Kilometers Travelled
Some officers (particularly in the country) are driving hundreds of kilometers a day, some calls seeing crews doing 8-hour turn arounds. SJA are going to review this and are hoping that once more employees are hired, this will reduce these.
Vehicle Specific Checklists
There is only one specific vehicle check list, this is used for all vehicles. SJA need to have checklists for all types of vehicles. It could be easily done for the checklist to be placed on the epcr to determine what list you need to fill out. Ie if you’re logged on as a wheelchair officer then that specific vehicle item checklist can be come up when you log in. SJA will look at this and see if it can be done.
Section4 of the CPR Form
The form is non-valid as it is only for the admission of the patient to the facility and not for the transfer to the facility. The Section 4 needs to be signed so that the NFR can be valid Hospitals need to be aware that Section 4 needs to incorporate the transfer to the facility. SJA – will discuss this with Health and provide feedback to staff.
PTS Management
This is not a new issue and has been brought up multiple times over the past few months. Transport Team Leaders are out and about. Many members state that their roster does not facilitate an ideal time to see the managers. Some managers have been tied in with other roles (covid etc.) which means only one manager is available for the fleet. SJA – this is obviously a budgeting situation, but we do understand its getting busy and we are expanding and we have more accountability placed upon us. Another team Leader is being reviewed, but this will wait until the new Operations Manager is employed. SJA do fill out a Manager Report to show who they have been in contact with. In most cases they see approx. 50% of the fleet.
PTS Dispatch During Jobs
Dispatch often calling whilst they are dealing with patients, some crews can not answer the call, and comms still repeatedly ring. One case a crew were wearing gowns and could not answer the call and received numerous calls. AEAWA – Crews are not happy as nearly every 20 minutes they are getting a call. There was an acknowledgment that ‘welfare checks’ are required in the community, but many of these calls are occurring whilst crews are in hospitals. It appears there has been a directive to call crews every 20-minutes to see what the holdup is. SJA will review.
Ready Now Calls
Calls are getting brought forward to ‘ready now’ and the patient is never ready. Sometimes crews are driving 30 minutes to a ready now call only to be told the paperwork isn’t ready. The question was raised who changes the call to ready now? SJA – this will be reviewed, specifically how the ready now gets activated and assigned. There was no clear answer on how this occurs, and feedback will be presented around this.
Wheelchair Vehicle Dispatching
Being dispatched into forced overtime. There are not enough vehicles, and many days crews feel forced into OT. Calls are being allocated to crews knowingly that a significant shift extension will occur. AEAWA – this can change dependent on the dispatcher, and the question was raised what is the organisations stance on ‘reasonable OT’? is it ½ an hour, an hour?
Modified 79 Times
Jobs are being modified constantly; acknowledgment times are being adjusted to the 79 time. Crews are being shown as ‘79’ whilst traveling to the call. Who is changing this?SJA – stated they do not believe this is being done intentionally but will review this process and provide feedback.
Lack of Transport Vehicles and Use of Ambulances
Some Transport crews are being assigned ambulances to work out of, meaning there is a lack of vehicles for paramedics to commence their shift. Some members have stated they feel pressured to get the vehicle back on time, and in some cases feel pressured to take another call, knowing that the vehicle will return back to the depot late for the oncoming crew. SJA – This will eventually be resolved with the new vehicles being placed into the system, but they are limited to space as many vehicles can not be placed in current depots as they are full. The vehicles have a 6-year life span and there is issues with time and turn arounds in getting vehicles, the time between ordering to receiving the vehicle can be quite extensive.
Meeting Concluded
The meeting concluded with the next JJC date assigned to January 2022.
The AEAWA believed that this was too long away, and many of the agenda items were not even discussed due to time. The meetings need to be aligned to the same 2-hour time slot more frequently or a ½ day meeting should occur every 3-months so that more items can be discussed. The AEAWA will write to SJA to air this grievance. SJA stated they will implement the next JCC for December 2021 but still want the same 2-hour time slot.
AEAWA SOC JCC Minutes for 17th September, 2021
Meeting for the SOC JCC
10:00 till 12:15:30 on September 17th 2021
Committee Attendee’s
Lee Waller, Troy Bates, Justin Brennan and Kam Phagura
Committee Apologies
There were no AEAWA apologies
The meeting opened with the recent departure of Julian Smith from the SOC who had worked for SJA for 36 years, and to wish him well in his retirement from the organisation.
SOC General Updates
Discussions took place regarding the staffing within the SOC. Approval from the directors had been given for an additional two 24/7 Clinical Support Paramedics (at this stage one placed at SOC and the other at the Wangara HUB). The separation of metro and country has been discussed from an organisational point, but as yet no final decision had been made. If a separation did occur this may mean (hypothetically) if country was run from Wangara, then officers who live south of the river may not be able to work on country dispatch and this will lead to skill erosion.
SJA – The implementation of a country and metro 24/7 manager in the SOC would lead to many issues being sorted out immediately rather than waiting for responses during office hours. There is more work being done on this implementation and SOC staff will be made aware of those once available.
SJA – The Operational Support Officer role was discussed, and SJA are reviewing the data (i.e days v nights, and data from pre and post the OSO’s commencing employment). This will effectively show how many they may need. Currently there are 5 per shift and there may only be a need for 3. This would mean that the OSO’s would be given the opportunity to apply for a Communications Officer role. However, they would not need to go through the entire process again (as they have done most of the Communication Officers application process already).
For the OSO’s that do not want to apply are on 12-month contracts, but this does not effectively mean they will have to leave, as the official numbers required have not been set. SJA DO NOT want to see reduced staff levels, especially as the recent data shows a 12% increase in triple-0 calls over the last 2 months.
The numbers currently show that the SOC is 7 employees short (under established staffing levels) and an additional 17 Communications Officers will be employed soon.
These numbers are still below the expected staffing levels set within the Joyce Inquiry of 2010 and the implementation report. However, we do welcome additional staffing in the room.
Headsets/Equipment Updates
The new chairs in the SOC are in place and are the newer improved model to what was originally discussed. Feedback so far has been positive. Regarding the headsets it is still SJAs preference that they are worn whilst radio dispatching to reduce any acoustic incidents. Some employees have stated although the microphones currently in use are great (as they are not being injured), they believe that they are missing vital radio transmissions as they can not hear. This is mainly due to the volume of the other radio overriding theirs. SJA have stated that they will improve the devices if there is a need.
Staff are urged to contact Wil directly or use the FMS to lodge the fault so that these issues are identified and can be fixed sooner. Some members are stating that the feedback issues are still occurring. SJA will review this.
Technology/Systems/CAD Updates
The new CAD update has been implemented and feedback is still being sourced.
AEAWA – Members have stated that there is an issue performing welfare checks on patients who have been waiting for an ambulance for hours. The current system is to have someone call them back. At the moment this is only occurring between noon and midnight. The additional two paramedics slated to work alongside STT have not been released off the road due to the poor staffing levels of paramedics. In essence, if a call-taker has 10 banked up triple-0 calls on their screen, how can they call and do a welfare check. The system DOES NOT have the capacity to safely provide this service.
Currently the RTMs have access to main road cameras as a trial. This has assisted in numerous calls; correctly determining the correct location of an incident to finding a patient who does not know their location. Our members in the SOC would like to see this on more computers to assist them in finding locations. SJA will contact main roads with the positive feedback and see if more access can be given.
Sel Call Failures
SJA provided feedback to numerous failures resulting in delayed ambulance responses, particularly in the Southwest. The outcome was that Radio Dispatchers are Sel Calling depots when there are no crews in the depot, hence they can not answer it. This response was not particularly well received and the AEAWA viewed this as unsatisfactory. Believing it was a ‘cop out’. SJA stated they will log the issues and review where the crews are when they have been sel called to see where the issues are. SOC personnel were adamant that it is a system failure, and SJA need to fix it.
Country Dial Out
Many times, the SOC contacts a crew and for what ever reason the call is not answered. The crew sees the call as missed but have no idea who has called them. Our members asked for the SOC number not to be recorded as a generic number, so crews can contact the person who is trying to contact them. SJA stated numerous works are going on in the background and that this is being sorted. The AEAWA advised that this was listed as a JCC agenda item back in February 2020, as still no resolution has taken place.
Request to Pause the Audit Feedback Process
Members had stated with the workload being astronomically high, and minimum staffing levels being an issue, it was quite unfair to then get hit with a bad audit. SJA (although not advising employees) agreed with this, and the audit process was actually stopped for 2-3 months. It is now currently back in full swing, and employees should see these audits soon. SJA also stated that the new Shift Development Officers (once implemented) will perform the feedback process. So now members should obtain their feedback via their peers and NOT from individuals who have never performed the role before. October 17 is the first ‘conversion’ course for these officers.
Policy that Overwrites the Requirements of ProQA in Urgent Circumstances
Much discussion occurred around surge capacity within ProQA. From answering calls normally to the removal of Post-Dispatch Instructions when the workload becomes exceptionally high. Although it was acknowledged that the removal of certain PDIs do save a few minutes, with the call volume constantly increasing it is not enough to answer the banked-up calls. The Emergency Disconnect Protocol was talked about, however, SJA have stated this is only to be used during a major disaster and NOT for increased workloads.
Other systems in place (particularly in London), were the structured call-taking questions are aligned to available resources and call volumes was discussed. In essence when workload is extreme, many questions are limited so that the call-taker can disconnect and answer another call. SJA will review these systems and see if there is a place for that here.
It was also noted that Telstra are continually calling the Duty Manager saying they CAN NOT get emergency calls to be answered from the SOC.
Clarification on the Minimum Requirement for Dispatchers on Radio
There needs to be 6 radio Dispatchers and 10 call-takers per shift. However, the call-takers are not just call-takers, they include those who perform other roles such as the EDO etc. Once again this is NOT what was stipulated in the Joyce Inquiry Implementation Report and call-takers logged into the system should just be call taking. SJA have stated they are about to implement another radio school and that Black and Red shifts will be approached first due to the reduced numbers on those shifts.
The Wearing of Headsets Whilst on Radio Dispatch
This was discussed previously in these minutes, and an acknowledgment of the current system not being perfect, it is still the belief of the AEAWA that headsets are not worn at all on Radio. YOU ARE NOT COVERED if you have an injury and the problem HAS NOT been rectified, as they still do not know where the issues in the radio network are.
Shift Preference List Updated
This was updated 30th August 2021 and is currently on the intranet, an example copy was shown at the meeting.
Confirm Defence Service Leave is Updated in the Leave Guide on Connect
As this was in numerous documents the information was conflicted and a link was not active, this has now been fixed and is currently live on the intranet.
New Agenda Items
SOC Transformation Update
Mostly covered earlier, the country and metro mangers were discussed. However, SJA will inform staff of these changes at a later date, as certain items still need reviewing.
Wangara HUB Closures
Some members have contacted the AEAWA stating they have had 90 minutes notice to go to the SOC instead of Wangara, this has created issues in getting to work on time. On certain occasions staff at the HUB have been told to drive to Belmont after they have commenced shift due to reduced staffing. The AEAWA believe this is ironic as the organisation have now lost 2 or 3 employees for 45 minutes whilst they drive to the SOC. The AEAWA have asked for a review on when the HUB has been closed and for what reason. If the HUB is to be closed there needs to be a set criteria of when this should occur, and the correct processes followed. SJA agreed and will review a process for closure.
Standardisation of Shift Protocols
Members have raised concerns of the disparity that occurs across shifts. There appears to be no consistency, and this can be quite stressful for those working overtime on various shift colours and members who predominantly work set days and work across all shifts. SJA acknowledge this and stated this was evident post the introduction of the OSO’s as they were assigned different tasks dependent on were they worked. SJA are looking to initiate set criteria so that this does not occur and will implement this soon.
CEP
SJA have stipulated that the 2-day CEP will be aligned to the current paramedic program. A one day face-to-face and an in-house day. This is due to the issues with aligning all officers to a 4-week program, which is increasingly harder to manage. Especially with the workload as high as it is and taking officers from the SOC/Wangara out of circulation to attend the training program. This places further pressures on employees left in the system. As the on-line program develops SJA will take consultation on set items within the CEP online program. There are specific teachings that are required to be taught, however, there would be the ability to place in employee requested content in the future.
Undercover Parking at Belmont (Night Shift for SOC)
It was identified there is limited number of safe parking bays available for SOC employees, especially during times where the HUB has been closed. Recent events have occurred where members of the public are walking through the car park throughout the night. This combined with the limited lighting in the area, has made the area extremely unsafe of employees. Recently numerous employees had parked in the CEO’s parking bay, and this led to a SOC email advising staff not to park there. Although this area is not identified with a CEO sign (it forms part of the red parking bays). There was an acknowledgement that this bay needs to be vacated as the CEO may come in after office hours. This led to a discussion on the reason why this had occurred; there were NO other bays to park in.
The AEAWA believe that employee safety is paramount. In one case a SOC employee had to stay at work longer due to no staff available to relieve the position. SJA presented data on the bays available at these particular times and that there were bays available.
It was ironic that other forms of data has been requested for months but this data can be supplied in days. It was also noted that it is not just SOC staff that park in the locked undercover carpark area, and in some cases, vehicles had been left in there for a number of days. If there are NO safe parking bays available (and many staff are ending their shifts post-midnight), what is the safe option? SJA will find a solution.
In the meantime, if there are NO undercover bays available and you need to park outside in an area that has already been deemed unsafe (on numerous occasions), then contact the Duty Manager to arrange an escort until a solution is found.
SOC Officers and Senior Positions
To be discussed at the next SOC JCC
Enterprise Agreement Items – Not discussed at this meeting as none were listed.
Next SOC JCC is scheduled for Thursday 9th December 2021 (14:00-16:00). If you would like to list an agenda item for discussion, please contact the AEAWA via email [email protected] or speak with your shift delegate.
AEAWA Committee Minutes for 23rd June, 2021
Meeting officially opened by the President and Executive Committee
08:30-09:30 on June 23rd 2021
Committee Attendee’s
John Thomas, Donelle Carver, Lee Waller, Dave Higgins, Marty Kelly, Dave Bryant, Dave Abbott and Conrad Fairhead.
Committee Apologies
Jon Flockton, Earl Stamp, Lee Mack, Tim Dunlop, Brett Moore, Troy Bates, Justin Brennan
Previous Minutes
Passed by Marty Kelly and Donelle Carver
AEAWA Membership
The have been 29 new members signed up with the AEAWA this month.
The AEAWA Treasurer Report
The accounts of the AEAWA are in a strong position and this was presented to the Committee.
The AEAWA Secretary Report
The Secretary provided information on incoming and outgoing correspondence (discussed later in General Business).
The Current EBA Negotiations
The AEAWA are updating the membership via our FaceBook page, the website and via chatting on the road. Current we are placing much information regarding the negotiations on these pages. We urge all members to check these periodically, and if you are not on our Facebook page please join up to keep up to date.
Microphones in the Wangara Hub
As you would be aware our colleagues in the SOC have had a lot to deal with in recent times. Numerous issues over workers compensation claims – all denied by Allianz (even though they occurred at work using faulty workplace equipment), poor staffing levels and the worst morale the service has ever seen. The AEAWA after a multitude of meetings managed to replace the headsets to reduce injuries, currently this is only at the SOC. Members are urged to ensure you only use the microphones on all dispatch locations.
If SJA are not supplying them in Wangara, you are in YOUR RIGHT to decline to use the headset for safety reasons. REMEMBER YOU WILL NOT be covered for workers compensation injuries by SJA or ALLIANZ.
Another Dispute Has Been Raised
Currently the AEAWA are in dispute regarding all 27 and 47 vehicles. The AEAWA are in strong agreement that SJA is not committed as the Certified Agreement states in the permanent placement of vehicles. The committee will keep the membership informed during this dispute.
General Business
Item 1 – BankVic Salary Continuance Policy. The Committee would like to remind the membership that this policy is still available if you wish to review it.
Item 2 – Solo Officers Sent to the Ramp. The AEAWA would like to remind officers that this is still occurring, and that the clinical risk is significant if you choose to look after patients by yourself. If you are asked to take on this role please contact a delegate ASAP for advice.
Next Committee Meeting 7th July, 2021
The AEAWA Committee will meet again Wednesday 11th February 2021 (08:30-09:00).
Meeting officially closed by the President
The Committee will re-convene in two weeks’ time.
AEAWA Committee Minutes for 2nd June, 2021
Meeting officially opened by the President and Executive Committee
08:30-09:30, this was a short meeting to present the AEAWA Treasury Report.
Committee Attendee’s
John Thomas, Donelle Carver, Lee Waller, Dave Higgins, Marty Kelly, Dave Bryant, Dave Abbott and Conrad Fairhead.
Committee Apologies
Jon Flockton, Earl Stamp, Lee Mack, Tim Dunlop, Brett Moore, Troy Bates and Justin Brennan
Previous Minutes
Passed by Marty Kelly and Donelle Carver
AEAWA Membership
The have been 17 new members signed up with the AEAWA this month.
The AEAWA Treasurer Report
The accounts of the AEAWA are in a strong position and this was presented to the Committee. The full Financial Report was handed to the Committee and all discussion related to funds, transactions and payments occurred.
The Current EBA Negotiations
Issues relating to the EBA were discussed and further information will be made available.
Next Committee Meeting 16th June, 2021
The AEAWA Committee will meet again Wednesday 11th February 2021 (08:30-09:00).
Meeting officially closed by the President
The Committee will re-convene in two weeks’ time.
AEAWA Committee Minutes for 27th January, 2021
Meeting officially opened by the President and Executive Committee
08:30-10:30 on January 2nd 2021
Committee Attendees
John Thomas, Lee Waller, Marty Kelly, Dave Abbott, Andrew Kerfoot, Gary Davies, Christine Hunter, Cam Fiddock, Conrad Fairhead and Ed Doran.
Committee Apologies
Donelle Carver, Dave Higgings, Jon Flockton, Troy Bates, Justin Brennan, Tim Dunlop, Lee Mack and Kam Phagura
Previous Minutes
Passed by Mr Thomas and Mr Waller.
AEAWA Membership
The membership has been increasing at a very fast rate, with up to 19 new members joining last month.
The AEAWA Treasurer Report
The accounts of the AEAWA are in a strong position and this was presented to the Committee. The AEAWA Constitution has been passed and ‘official’ paperwork for the accreditation review of the association has been signed off.
The AEAWA Secretary Report
The Secretary provided information on incoming and outgoing correspondence (discussed later in General Business). The website and the database work have been completed by the company sourced to provide the service. Handover of the website to the committee should occur shortly. A meeting is scheduled for Friday for the works to be presented to the committee.
Upcoming EBA Negotiations
These EBA negotiations will most likely be a difficult one. The AEAWA will have a total of six (6) seats at the negotiations. At this stage the committee would like to see four (4) metro delegates and two (country delegates (preferably from north and south as their issues are quite different). The Executive committee will meet within the next week or so to finalise the bargaining team. The draft for the AEAWA log of claims is almost completed and consists of the requests from over 200 members who filled out the EBA Negotiations Survey.
Claims from specialist areas such as ‘Special Ops’ and ‘CSPs’ are also near completion. At this stage, the EBA negotiations commence on February 17th, 2021 and we would urge all members to review committee updates on the website (when uploaded to the server) and on Facebook and emails.
Security Issues at East Bunbury Depot
No movement on this security issue seems to be occurring. SJA seem to be very complacent regarding depot and crew security and safety. This issue has been raised on numerous occasions. The AEAWA will arrange a further meeting with SJA regarding this issue.
Acoustic Shock in the SOC
Again, yet another acoustic shock incident has occurred in SOC. Although the officer did not receive any lasting effects, this issue is unacceptable and brings the numbers of incidents to over 30 and at least 4 of our colleagues in the room have had long lasting effects. Issues occurring are; loud acoustic shrieks piercing down the head phones, SOC officers hearing their own voices echoing back at them, constant differences in sound volumes and instances were radio dispatchers can here another dispatcher through their head sets.
The AEAWA will again write to WorkSafe WA and the SJA Executive as the time for discussions about poor, unsafe and antiquated radio systems have ended. For the safety of ALL SOC employees, this issue must be rectified immediately.
Boost in Emergency Service Personnel
Recent statements from the Premier Mark McGowan have revealed a significant boost in emergency personnel numbers across the State and the South West. 1,000 Police Officers and 87 Fire-fighters; not much discussion for ambulance personnel. With the workload in the metropolitan area causing detriment and poorer outcomes for the people of Western Australia the AEAWA believes that any injection of personnel into the service HAS to be significant.
There is current talk of boosting our numbers through a total of 74 direct entrant paramedics, commencing a graduate paramedic program and placing 18 officers into country regions. The AEAWA will write to the SJA Executive to ascertain what increase in numbers is expected and when will those officers be introduced into the system.
Issues with student paramedic progression
Over the past few years there has been a number of SAOs who have failed a Curtin unit and have found themselves in a fight to save their employment with SJA. Some officers have progressed whilst others have been terminated. The progression clause is quite ambiguous and leaves a lot open for interpretation. The AEAWA are currently reviewing the fairness of this document for any future cases that require supportive actions.
Leave Without Pay
The leave without pay process appears to be unfair and not at all transparent. Some officers have received leave without pay after applying, while others have been denied. The AEAWA will write to the SJA Executive asking why the process allows some but not all to have their requested leave approved. It appears to be personality driven.
Overtime Process
Currently the methods used for OT is to text officers, some texts go out in blocks so certain officers are alerted earlier than other. Different service providers send and receive message quicker than others. The AEAWA have always been in constant discussions with management over fair and equitable overtime dispersal. At this stage the organisation is reviewing an app-based system, so all officers received the information at the same time.
Performance Management in the SOC
SJA managers have decided to increase performance management of our SOC colleagues. The organisation wants to receive their ‘ACE’ accreditation through the Academy and despite forcing staff to use faulty, unsafe and outdated radio equipment, work with 70% less resourcing than the Government Inquiry into the service had set and declining to cover these individuals through workers compensation claims, the micro-management of these individuals has now reached a new level.
The SOC membership ALWAYS have the support of the AEAWA committee, and we strive to ensure NO officer is left with a negative leave balance due to an injury at work. The AEAWA are currently responding to the SJA Executive about this new poorly implemented process.
Further Fair Work Commission Hearings
Again, the AEAWA will be in the Commission to assist an officer this coming week.
Join the AEAWA Committee
The AEAWA now consists of 39 Committee members, some of whom are new, and others are well versed in industrial issues. If you would like to join this team and assist your colleagues in furthering our profession and keeping the establishment honest then contact a Committee member.
General Business
Item 1 – Cleaning Ambulances post suspected or confirmed COVID cases. The Committee received some concerns from the membership relating to the following areas; A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over cleaning of ambulances. There has been plenty of discussions regarding crews and PPE, but nothing relating to the cleaning of the vehicles once the crew has completed the call.
The AEAWA are of a strong belief that if you transport any patients who identify with the below criteria.
– Confirmed COVID cases,
– Suspected COVID cases.
– Any call on our AMBICAD that states ‘COVID’ ‘Precautions’, ‘Consider PPE’.
– And in reference to the DOH guidelines; any patients with.
– fever of 37.5C or above.
– fever in last few days (night sweats or chills).
– coughing, SOB, sore throat, runny nose.
– loss of smell or taste.
– Any person in self-isolation/quarantine.
– Any person in contact with someone in self-isolation/quarantine.
The vehicle is to be washed thoroughly with hospital strength detergents. If there are no facilities at the hospital to do this or no equipment available, then you state you need a P8 Card to clean your vehicle at the closest depot before your take any further calls. The call you make is NOT a request. This is following the World Health Organizations and the Department of Heaths directive.
Item 2 – AP1 officers in country regions. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over AP1’s tasked to country areas to work. The AEAWA have written to SJA regarding this. AP1s ARE NOT to be rostered to country regions. The minimum of AP2 was set by the organisation.
Item 3 – 9-hour break. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over being advised by a manager that they were not entitled
to the 9-hour break. The AEAWA would like to remind officers of the current Certified Agreement which states.
OVERTIME
(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, any work performed outside the ordinary hours prescribed in clause 26 of this Agreement, will be deemed overtime and will be paid at the rate of double time.
(b) In the calculation of overtime each day shall stand alone.
(c) An employee recalled for duty outside normal rostered hours will be paid at overtime rates for a minimum of 3 hours.
(d) Where overtime is necessary it will, wherever reasonably practicable, be arranged so that the employee will have at least 9 consecutive hours off work between shifts.
(e) Where an employee at the direction of St John works overtime where they will not receive 9-consecutive hours off duty between the completion of a rostered shift and the commencement of the next rostered shift, the employee will:
(i) be released from duty until the employee has had 9 consecutive hours off
(ii) duty without loss of pay; or (iii) if directed by St John to resume work without 9 hours off duty be paid at double time until released from duty; and
(iii) will be entitled to be absent until the employee has had 9 consecutive hours off duty without loss of pay.
Item 4 – Patient Transport officers and dual transfers. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over being tasked to pick up two patients from the same location and transferring them to two separate locations. Crews have been asked to arrange staff members from the first facility to look after the patient in the back whilst they transfer one patient so they can return to transport the other.
The AEAWA will write to management regarding this. It is the committee’s opinion that this is an unsafe practice and should NOT occur. If the patient deteriorates who is at fault? Clarification from SJA Executive is currently being sought.
Next Committee Meeting
The AEAWA Committee will meet again Wednesday 11th February 2021 (09:00-11:00).
Meeting officially closed by the President
The Committee will re-convene in two weeks’ time.
AEAWA Committee Minutes for 13th January, 2021
Meeting officially opened by the President and Executive Committee
08:30-10:30 on January 13th 2021
Committee Attendees
John Thomas, Lee Waller, Marty Kelly, Craig Hubbard, Andrew Kerfoot, Clive Broome, Phil Stanatis and Justin Ingrey
Committee Apologies
Donelle Carver, Dave Higgings, Dave Abbott, Jon Flockton, Gary Davies, Troy Bates, Justin Brennan, Tim Dunlop, Cam Fiddock, Lee Mack, Gary Davies and Kam Phagura.
Previous Minutes
Passed by Mr Thomas and Mr Waller.
AEAWA Membership
The membership has been increasing at a very fast rate, with up to 26 new members joining last month.
The AEAWA Treasurer Report
The accounts of the AEAWA are in a strong position and this was presented to the Committee. The question of keeping the fortnightly meeting room in North Beach for each meeting was discussed. The Committee decided that they would rather meet face to face than over Microsoft Teams (which will still be available for Committee members who cannot be present).
The AEAWA Secretary Report
The Secretary provided information on incoming and outgoing correspondence (discussed later in General Business).
Security Issues at East Bunbury Depot
This is still pending after a member of the public repeatedly tried to gain entry into the depot. For those who are not familiar with this depot, staff security does not exist. There is no secured parking and crews exit and enter the depot through a single door; often crews are near the bushes trying to access a lock box in order to obtain the depot keys. The AEAWA will again write to Country Operations to ascertain when security will be upgraded. A further meeting will be arranged dependent on that response.
Acoustic Shock in the SOC
Again, SJA’s poor failing equipment is injuring members within the SOC. WorkSafe WA has visited the Control Room on numerous occasions. These issues ceased for a period of time. Unfortunately, within the last week further injuries have been sustained. This on top of SJA failing to fix these issues, the organisation still have officers in the room who are owed time. This is unacceptable.
The Committee wants any SOC member who has lost time due to an acoustic shock injury to contact the AEAWA immediately. Working in such a poorly equipped area with limited resources and not being covered through Workers Compensation shows zero organisational support for these officers. The AEAWA seek further WorkSafe WA meetings and meetings with SJA Executive Managers in order to once again rectify these incidents.
Officer in Quarantine
The AEAWA Committee has been in constant contact and would advise the membership to please respect the privacy of this individual. A hamper was sent to the officer concerned to assist during this stressful time. This officer has support of the AEAWA Committee and the membership. We wish our member a fast return to duties, and for this issue to be resolved ‘fairly’.
SJA protocols for PPE
Regarding recent events with PPE, the Committee find it strange that no real discussions have taken place on suspected COVID-19 patients transported in Ambulance and the cleaning of those vehicles. The World Health Organization have written a protocol on cleaning Ambulances after transporting ‘confirmed’ and ‘suspected’ COVID-19 patients. The cleaning required takes approximately 30 minutes and should only be done with hospital grade detergents. At this stage there are no facilities or equipment for this to be done at hospitals.
Both the CEO and Premier Mark McGowan have both mentioned being ‘complacent’ around wearing PPE in an effort to reduce COVID spread; we believe this MUST also flow onto the cleaning of Ambulances. The AEAWA will write to SJA Executive Management regarding this clear instruction to be followed.
Hospital Liaison Officer Instructions
Recently there has been instances were HLM’s have organized crews to transport a patient out of the hospital whilst the crew is ramped; basically, instigating a one-for-one swap. This has caused some headaches for SOC members as dispatchers often assign these crews to community calls then find out they are now on a transfer. In the recent SOC meeting Management stated that crews take calls from dispatchers (inclusive or response time managers and duty managers) not HLM’s.
The AEAWA would like to remind crews to clear the call they are on before accepting a one- for-one swap. If SOC assign the transfer we will do it, if not we will take the call we have been assigned.
Upcoming Paramedic EBA Negotiations
The AEAWA have compiled lots of information for the upcoming EBA negotiations. In order for us to progress in our profession we would plead for all members to stick together during these negotiations. They will be ongoing and we urge you to stay informed and support the cause through the entire process. If you haven’t done already there is a survey link for AEAWA members to provide input in our negotiations. If you have any ideas or suggestions please comment in the below link.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GG5VGQS
Members talking with Management
Recently there have been issues with certain managers advising crews that the discussion they are about to have are “off the record”. Member comments then seem to resurface during later disciplinary processes. The AEAWA Committee would like to remind all members that there is no such thing as an “off the record” discussion. If you are approached to chat about work related matters, YOU ARE ENTITLED to be supported through this. Please contact an AEAWA delegate if you are concerned at any time.
Join the AEAWA Committee
The AEAWA now consists of 39 Committee members, some of whom are new, and others are well versed in industrial issues. If you would like to join this team and assist your colleagues in furthering our profession and keeping the establishment honest then contact a Committee member.
General Business
Item 1 – Corpuls Checks. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over failed Corpuls checks. In light of recent SJA disciplinary actions on staff, this member was concerned with Corpuls’s that fail on the first check. Staff generally do further checks until the Corpuls passes. The question was asked “what would SJA do if a failed defibrillation was investigated and they found out that the first shock test at the commencement of shift had failed. The AEAWA believe that if the Corpuls does fail, the vehicle should be put out of service until the failure has been resolved by workshops.
The AEAWA will write to Clinical Governance to clarify for future failures of this device.
Item 2 – Leave Department failing to respond to requests. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over leave failing to respond to emails, officers are asking for leave swaps and aren’t even getting a response that an email has been received. The AEAWA have written to SJA regarding the failure to respond to officers. The letter included quotes from the previous Inquiry into the organisation where SJA was found to be inflexible with leave requests.
Item 3 – Delayed Response Times. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over patients in the community waiting for hours for a crew to arrive. Some of these patients are quite sick and often crews are met with angry responses. The Committee discussed the option of crews filling in Incident Reports for calls they attend in which patient detriment has occurred due to extensive delays in responding. The AEAWA would like crews who attend such cases to email the AEAWA to state an incident report has been completed.
Item 4 – Extra Duties Whilst on the Ramp. A member wrote to the AEAWA with concerns over taking patients for X-Rays on hospital beds. The AEAWA advise that patients on hospital equipment MUST be managed by hospital staff whilst being transferred within the hospital. We are NOT trained or authorised in using this equipment. WE ARE NOT HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES!
Next Committee Meeting
The AEAWA Committee will meet again Wednesday 27th February 2021 (09:00-11:00).
Meeting officially closed by the President
The Committee will re-convene in two weeks’ time.