The Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) has vowed to continue its fight against NSW Ambulance’s implementation of the Mental Health Clinician Responder Team (MHCRT) initiative despite orders from the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).
Last week, NSW Health made an application to the IRC seeking orders from the Industrial Relations Commission to stop action the union says was implemented by its members due to safety concerns.
The matter was set down for hearing on Monday, where the Commission made dispute orders on the application of NSW Health. The APA (NSW) says it intends to comply with these orders.
“We will use every avenue available to us to ensure Paramedics are safe at work. It is disappointing that the Minister and NSW Ambulance representatives have all this time to dedicate to preventing Paramedics standing up for their safety but no time or inclination to roll-out additional dedicated mental health cars like the Award winning ‘Mental Health Acute Assessment Team’,” said APA (NSW) President, Brett Simpson.
“It is hard to see this as anything other than NSW Ambulance not caring enough about this issue to provide even a single extra resource to deliver dedicated care to our patients experiencing mental health emergencies. Actions speak louder than words. APA (NSW) is fighting hard for increased mental health resources in the community, but it cannot come at the expense of our woefully under resourced and necessary Special Operations Paramedics.
“NSW Ambulance is putting a Nurse provided by an LHD onto a Special Operations car and calling it a mental health program.
“The Bondi Coronial Inquest is laying bare the inadequacies in Special Operations resourcing both in terms of rostered Paramedics, and equipment. Before the Coronial has even concluded NSW Ambulance is repeating the same mistakes,” said Mr Simpson
“To continue with this program is to say the sacrifice of our Paramedics who ran into the proverbial burning building without the necessary training and in contravention of their protocols means nothing. It was an extraordinary personal sacrifice, putting the lives of their patients over their own, and the community of NSW has an interest in ensuring they are not ever asked to make that decision again,” he stated.
