Western Australia’s ambulance contract could be taken off St John and placed under the control of the government in five years’ time if it fails to meet a range of new performance targets, if the state agrees to a key recommendation from a parliamentary inquiry tabled on Thursday.
The report by an upper house committee inquiry into the delivery of ambulances services in WA found multiple areas where health authorities and St John Ambulance were letting down West Australians, particularly in regional areas.
Georgina Wild, 80, died of a suspected heart attack while waiting for St John Ambulance in Perth.
The report found WA’s ambulance service, run by St John Australia, was under significant strain and in the past year the operator was unable to achieve performance targets of answering 90 per cent of triple-zero calls within 10 seconds and responding to 90 per cent of priority-one calls within 15 minutes.
The committee made 48 recommendations to beef up funding and regional services, and introduce legislation to bring the service back on track.
The final finding was that if St John failed to meet broader performance targets, the contract could be awarded to a new provider or the government could take over the service.
“There is a case to bring the ambulance service into public hands however a private provider may deliver essential government services, so long as it provides the services to a similar or higher standard as would a public entity,” the report said.
“Private providers of essential public services must be subject to the same oversight and scrutiny as a public body.”
Any changeover would not likely occur for at least half a decade with another recommendation stating the implementations of other recommendations should be reviewed in the next five years.
Pressures on WA’s hospital and ambulance system has been thrust into the spotlight this week after the death of two people in their 80s on Sunday while waiting for ambulances.
St John’s ambulance contract on notice amid response time crisis
Source: Philippines Alive
