A paramedic who works at the centre described the situation as “horrific”.
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“Absolutely, it is dangerous. It makes my skin crawl the way AV runs it overnight,” they said. “If a call-taker needs urgent advice from a senior [clinician] … and they can’t get the advice required, that can impact the patient very quickly.”
The WorkSafe report confirms investigators spoke to Ambulance Victoria staff and management last week, and that plans to train more staff had not begun.
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It also states many staff reported a lack of management support, plus “stress … headaches, nausea and turnover intention”, and that Ambulance Victoria had been aware of the risk to staff through “unmanageable workloads” since 2020 but had not adequately addressed the problem.
The other document – commissioned by Ambulance Victoria and titled “Psychological Risk Assessment Overall Report” – was handed over last month and has been seized by WorkSafe as potential evidence.
It found the call-centre staff were exposed to high levels of risk with “inadequate support from leadership, work overload, low job control, vicarious trauma, and a lack of organisational justice”.
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The internal report also found 87 per cent of the clinicians had a high risk of suffering “burnout or reduced wellbeing”, and that some had already raised concerns about night-shift staff shortages, meaning there was no available support for “rapid and consequential decision-making”.
Ambulance Victoria sources said officials within the organisation were aware of the dangers to psychological health, and that they claim to have tried various approaches to solve the problems, but now privately recognise it must be done by July 8 or they could face court.
Two WorkSafe inspectors visited the Ballarat centre on Thursday last week and found the “improvement notice” issued in December had not been adequately addressed. The watchdog plans to return on July 8 to check progress, and the report confirms there is “potential for prosecution”.
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That, the ambulance union claims, could lead to fines approaching $2 million if proved in the Magistrates’ Court.
Lead WorkSafe inspector Leah Dighton wrote in the report that she believes “clinicians continue to be at risk” due to “current Workcover claims” and stress and physical illness, leading to a “desire to avoid working the night shift alone”.
Dighton said Ambulance Victoria had attempted to introduce an overtime shift to help at night, but it was staffed only half the time. The role was not filled the night WorkSafe inspectors visited.
Ambulance Victoria executive director for operational communications Anthony Carlyon agreed there were “workforce challenges”.
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“We will not allow patient safety nor the welfare of our people to be compromised,” he said.
Carlyon said Ambulance Victoria had been working with the clinicians to “address the concerns” raised by WorkSafe and others. He said the system might be reorganised to have clinicians working from “alternate communication centres”.
When asked about the leaked documents, Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said “categorically it is very dangerous”.
“If you do not get the clinical response or the co-ordination you need, including air support, then the community does not get the service they require,” Hill said.
”These areas are desperately understaffed. We say get more support crew and you get more value from the crews on the road.
“We have been saying it since we were blue in the face.”
Neil Mitchell is a commentator on 3AW and hosts the weekly podcast ‘Neil Mitchell asks Why?’
