In pre-Budget negotiations, Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced a greater amount of paramedics will be recruited over the next three years to make a difference to response times and help manage an ever-increasing workload.

APA secretary Steve Pearce and assistant secretary Gary Wilson told Mr Hazzard 1000 paramedics would need to be recruited to fill the demand.

“[The] announcement by Mr Hazzard to increase paramedic numbers by 750 over three years is a positive development which will boost morale among paramedics,” said secretary Steve Pearce.

“Once these new paramedics are on the ground, it will make a huge difference to spreading the workload and helping paramedics to perform the vital work they do.” 

The NSW Australian Paramedics Association began the campaign to recruit more paramedics in the state in 2015 to eradicate the shortage.

Issues also include problems with technology and resources in the work force.

“We have serious problems with technology which are not being fixed, like computers used to record case notes for patients which are seven years old with unreliable batteries which frequently fail,” he said.

“There are not enough ambulances in many areas and in some cases paramedics don’t have an ambulance to start work in; and new portable radios rolled out by NSW Ambulance don’t work so paramedics are carrying the old ones as a backup and they don’t work either.

“This situation is extremely unsafe.”