Advocacy

Chief Paramedic Officers: Providing strategic leadership

Across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, governments have rightly recognised the importance of clinical leadership by appointing chief clinical officers within their health departments. The College urges all governments to take the next critical step: establish Chief Paramedic Officer roles to provide strategic leadership, strengthen interprofessional collaboration, and ensure paramedics are represented at the highest levels of health decision-making. Embedding paramedic leadership within government is essential to fully integrate paramedic care into health systems to build ensure a more responsive, resilient, and patient-centred healthcare workforce.

Enabling paramedics to strengthen primary and urgent care

Timely, appropriate healthcare remains out of reach for many communities across Australasia. When primary care is unavailable, people often rely on paramedics to provide care via emergency services. As a regulated health profession, paramedics are well-positioned to deliver team-based, person-centred care within primary and urgent care settings. However, legislative and structural barriers limit their ability to do so. The College advocates for legislative reform, improved models of care, and flexible funding arrangements to enable paramedics to contribute fully to meeting the evolving health needs of communities.

Prescribing rights for paramedics: A step toward integrated, person-centred care

Improving health, access, outcomes are priorities for health systems across Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. As governments move to reform healthcare, paramedics are uniquely positioned to support these goals through safe and appropriate prescribing. The College advocates for prescribing rights for paramedics as a critical step toward enabling timely, effective, and integrated care.