Community paramedic trial rethinks role within regional healthcare ABC News; 22 September 2021

Written by Jess Davis

One of the barriers to staying healthy in regional Australia can often be as simple as getting a timely doctor's appointment.

To address this basic problem, often driven by workforce shortages, a community paramedic trial is underway to provide preventative health measures as well as deal with immediate problems of patients in regional areas.

While paramedics are usually associated with flashing lights and emergencies, the new community program aims to rethink its role by providing care for people before they call triple-0.

And it's hoped the trial could plug a gap in parts of the country where doctors and nurses are in short supply.

Paramedics in two regional Victorian towns, Ouyen in the state's north-west and Tallangatta in the north-east, will be trained to do primary health care including vaccinations, chronic health management and palliative care.

Paramedic and researcher Brendan Shannon said the program had the potential to improve regional healthcare.

"What we're finding is that ambulance services are starting to plug holes in a very fragmented healthcare system," Mr Shannon, from Monash University's Department of Paramedicine, said.

"This is truly a way to start to provide patient-centred care in areas where we just don't have access to GPs, access to nurses."

Paramedics glut

Australasian College of Paramedicine chairman Ryan Lovett says paramedics are an untapped resource.

"Community paramedicine is really in an embryonic state in Australia, we can look to our colleagues in the UK and Canada to see the true potential," he said.

"We've seen a few burgeoning community paramedic programmes in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. But there's a huge contribution that paramedicine can play to the primary health care gap."

Mr Lovett said there was an oversupply of paramedicine graduates with only about 70 per cent finding jobs.

"We have a highly qualified registered health practitioner, registered health professionals that are struggling to find work," he said.

"And are well placed with a small additional amount of education to really help fill the primary health care gaps, especially in regional and remote communities."

Funding blind spot

But community paramedicine falls into a funding blindspot because states fund ambulance services and the commonwealth funds primary health care.

"We've met with state health ministers and just as recently as last week, we've met with the Prime Minister's office to really help close this gap and bring a solution to the table to help regional and remote communities," Mr Lovett said.

In a statement, the federal government said ambulance services were a responsibility for the states and territories.

"The commonwealth does not make a funding contribution to the states and territories for the delivery of ambulance services," it said.

Mr Shannon agreed more funding was needed.

"We've seen internationally that it's cost effective, but most importantly really great for patient outcomes," he said.

"We need funding from federal, state, whatever, just to investigate to see if there's value for this in the Australian and Victorian context."

Community focussed

One of those participating in the trial is Tallangatta paramedic Jo Brookes. She says paramedics can play an important role in regional and rural communities.

"My role as a community paramedic is working here at the healthcare service. It might be in the urgent care room supporting the staff, might be in the medical centre, or in the aged care or residential areas, but also out in the community," she said.

Tallangatta Health Service looks after the town with a population of about 1,000 but also takes in smaller rural communities further afield.

"Often those communities don't have healthcare services that are easily available so the community paramedic can assist in attending patients at home," Ms Brookes said.

"I guess I've always been a great believer in preventative health measures, rather than as what we're probably used to which is reactive."

Mr Shannon said the trial was a good first step.

"You have to commend any ambulance service that decides to stand up and put funding forward to try these new alternative models of care.

"The easiest thing is to just continue sending ambulances to patients, when they call triple-0, not to preemptively go out and try to stop people from getting to the point of crisis."