Tasmania ambulance wait times exceed worst-case scenario as paramedics warn of burnout
Ambulance wait times in Tasmania have exceeded the worst-case scenario projected in the state health system's 2022 plan, ABC News reports. Paramedics report burnout and trauma. The state government is preparing an emergency staff recruitment plan.
According to state health data reported by ABC News in Hobart, ambulance wait times in Tasmania have averaged 38 minutes for category 2 emergency calls over the past three months, exceeding the 30-minute "worst-case scenario" projected in the state's 2022 service plan. Ambulance ramping outside the Royal Hobart and Launceston General hospitals now averages four hours per day.
The Tasmanian Paramedics Association says members are working compulsory back-to-back shifts and that reports of professional burnout rose 41 percent in the past year. Union representatives say 27 paramedics have left or transferred to other states in the past six months. The health workers union is demanding emergency hiring within the state's Justice Minister Reforms.
The state government has announced a plan to open 80 new paramedic positions, in coordination with the federal Department of Health, with the package recorded at 24 million Australian dollars in the 2026 fiscal year budget. The state Health Minister added that the hourly capacity of the rural air ambulance service will also be expanded.
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