• 6th Nov 2024

Media release: Scope of Practice Review final report lays the foundation for paramedics to work to their full potential across primary care

After 12 months of consultations, the Australasian College of Paramedicine (the College) welcomes the release of the Federal Government’s Independent Review "Unleashing the Potential of Our Health Workforce - Scope of Practice Review Final Report", which marks a pivotal moment for the paramedicine profession in supporting paramedics to work to their full potential across primary care to deliver improved patient-centred care.

The College has long advocated for the broader integration of paramedics in primary healthcare, and our year-long efforts in leading the profession’s advancement throughout the Scope of Practice Review process have laid the foundations for a significant shift in how paramedicine is viewed within the primary healthcare sector, the expansion of paramedic practice and greater professional recognition.

The final report proposed 18 recommendations across four themes: Workforce design, development, education and planning; legislation and regulation; funding and payment policy; and enablers and other key considerations. Throughout this review process, we emphasised the profession’s capabilities to help improve patient access and outcomes in meeting the growing demands of contemporary healthcare, particularly for rural and remote communities.

As the government has now repeatedly espoused, the future of healthcare in Australia is team-based multidisciplinary healthcare, with paramedics among the key health workforces recognised for their potential to complement and bolster healthcare access and delivery. This report and its recommendations reinforce this commitment.

“Our advocacy efforts have long been focused on achieving broader sectoral recognition of Australia’s paramedics and their extensive capabilities to enable them to work as part of a more integrated, preventative, and team-based model of care,” said College CEO John Bruning. “The report is a positive step forward and we look forward to working with the government on the details of the implementation plan and the recommendations. However, there is still much work to be done in raising awareness among other health professions of the value paramedics add to healthcare nationally.”

As part of its recommendations, the report proposes strengthening the focus on learning together with other professions to help to break down the embedded cultural view of paramedic practice that focuses on the profession’s traditional emergency response role rather than its broader community roles. This is a priority if progress is to be made, requiring interprofessional collaboration and unity of vision.

Media contact:

Jemma Altmeier, College Advocacy and Government Relations Manager; email: jemma.altmeier@paramedics.org; phone: 0409 911 681

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