EXHAUSTED paramedics are falling asleep on the job during their 10-hour shifts, a group of Melbourne paramedics has claimed.
Seven paramedics have spoken out against bullying, a broken dispatch system, and being asked to work while sick to plug holes in ambulance coverage.
Al Briggs, 46, has been a paramedic for 18 years, and was based at Sunbury for 13. He said he once fell asleep at the wheel and missed the entrance to the Northern Hospital.
Jedda McGlinchey has been at Sunshine for most of her four years as a paramedic and said she was often exhausted while working. She said during a 10-hour shift the only down-time she has is a 30-minute meal break, when she often sleeps.
The paramedics said they often were bullied into missing breaks because of the frequency of new cases.
Alex Vella, 24, has been a paramedic for four years and is stationed at Hillside. He claimed patients sometimes died because ambulances had been diverted, paramedics felt responsible and counselling “doesn’t take away the thought that maybe we could have done something better”.
Opposition health spokesman Gavin Jennings brought the seven paramedics to State Parliament to give their account of problems at Ambulance Victoria. He said if he were health minister he would get paramedics off stress leave and clear “logjams” in transferring patients to hospitals.
Ambulance Victoria’s manager of specialist services Mark Rogers said their dispatch system was used at 3000 other ambulance services worldwide and was continually under review.
“We know it can be frustrating for paramedics and the community can assist by ensuring that the information supplied by the caller is accurate as possible,” he said.
