A paramedic working at a call centre recounted their experiences as “horrific” and expressed concerns about the dangers posed by the way Ambulance Victoria runs the centre overnight. The WorkSafe report confirmed these concerns, noting a lack of management support, stress, headaches, nausea, and turnover intention among staff. An internal report commissioned by Ambulance Victoria also highlighted risks faced by call-centre staff, including inadequate support from leadership, work overload, and vicarious trauma. The report found that 87 percent of clinicians had a high risk of burnout or reduced well-being.
Ambulance Victoria has been aware of the risks to staff from unmanageable workloads since 2020 but had not adequately addressed the problem. The internal report found that some staff members had raised concerns about night-shift staff shortages, leading to a lack of support for rapid decision-making. WorkSafe inspectors visited the Ballarat centre and issued an improvement notice in December, which had not been adequately addressed by the time of their next visit. The watchdog plans to return on July 8 to check progress, with the potential for prosecution and fines approaching $2 million if the risks are proved in court.
Lead WorkSafe inspector Leah Dighton expressed concerns that clinicians continue to be at risk due to current WorkCover claims, stress, physical illness, and a desire to avoid working the night shift alone. Ambulance Victoria attempted to introduce an overtime shift to help at night but it was only staffed half the time, and the role was not filled on the night of the WorkSafe inspection. Ambulance Victoria executive director Anthony Carlyon acknowledged workforce challenges but emphasized that patient safety and staff welfare would not be compromised. Plans are in place to address concerns raised by WorkSafe, potentially reorganizing the system to have clinicians working from alternate communication centers.
Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill voiced concerns about the dangers posed by understaffed call centers and stressed the importance of getting more support crew to improve service delivery to the community. He criticized the current staffing levels as insufficient for providing the clinical response and coordination needed for emergency situations. Neil Mitchell, a commentator on 3AW, also expressed alarm at the situation, emphasizing the importance of addressing the staffing challenges at call centers to ensure timely and effective emergency response. WorkSafe inspectors are closely monitoring the situation and have warned of potential prosecution if improvements are not implemented by the specified deadline.
