SOC members, news from our colleagues in AEA South Australia, indicates that we are not alone in being understaffed and under resourced. The article can be viewed through this link Triple Zero Call-Taker’s Explosive Claims About Working At SA Ambulance – FiveAA and is also listed below.
“Sick to my stomach”
An anonymous triple zero call-taker at SA Ambulance says she regularly feels “sick to my stomach” when she has the desperate family of an ill patient on the phone and no crews to send.
During Friday’s Breaking @ 8 segment, David Penberthy read a message from the employee who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being identified by management:
“We are spectacularly understaffed,” Penbo read. “As a call-taker we regularly can’t answer triple 0 calls as we are already all on the phone… you’re constantly thinking I need to answer this call because it could be someone in cardiac arrest but you can’t as you’re already on a call.”
“I sit there and listen to my dispatcher constantly scrambling for crews to send. When I’m on a call with someone who is really sick and I have to stay on the phone with them I look at my screen and feel sick to my stomach as there is no crew to send. The family are on the phone saying where are the crews? And I’m just sitting there thinking to myself we don’t have one.
“we need a new building but most of all we need more resources. Enough is enough.”
There is also a radio article file on the link provided were SOC officers and Paramedics speak out about poor equipment, terrible resourcing, abusive callers (due to lengthy delays) and that Government needs to sort these issues as a priority.