Ambulance worry on the border

The reader claims that they were present earlier in the year when a Bendoc resident rang ‘000’ from home for an ambulance due to an onset of extreme pain.

The resident gave the triple 0 operator a Bendoc postcode and address.

Soon after, our reader says, they took a phone call on behalf of the stricken caller, with an Ambulance Station in Morwell, Victoria ringing the house, informing that they had been assigned the job.

“I asked the officer if he was aware of the distance and expected travel time between Bendoc and Morwell,” our reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, says.

“He said yes, six hours. He went on to inform me that the patient would be taken back another two hours to the nearest hospital in Victoria, this being Orbost.

“I asked the officer, why doesn’t Bombala Ambulance attend, as it had attended to the patient in the past on more than one occasion and it is only three quarters of an hour travel.

“The Officer stated to me that the NSW Ambulance service declined to do the job due to a little dotted line on a map called the NSW VIC border. In other words it was not in their jurisdiction to pick up the extremely ill patient from Victoria.”

The Morwell Officer understood the distance issue, and urged the NSW Ambulance Service to take the job, and the Bombala ambulance attended and transported the patient.

Our reader lodged a complaint with Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Dr Mike Kelly, who has since written to the Ministers for Health in both NSW and Victoria outlining the situation, and suggesting the ambulance services adopt a more flexible approach in areas close to borders.

Our reader, however, is fearful of this kind of scenario playing out again.

Ambulance service reassures community

When the Bombala Times contacted both the NSW and Victorian Ambulance Services about the matter, both were adamant that an excellent cross border arrangement exists between the two to ensure the upmost care of patients.

“Ambulance Victoria (AV) and Ambulance Service New South Wales (ASNSW) have an established arrangement to provide mutual support to ensure that people who live close to State boundaries can achieve the best possible ambulance response to communities in both Victoria and New South Wales,” Ambulance Victoria’s Regional General Manager, Mr Mark Cooke said.

“These arrangements are formalised in an agreed and existing memorandum of understanding and works extremely well, with excellent relationships existing between the two ambulance services.

“Whilst the Oper-ations Centre for Ambulance Dispatch is located in Morwell, the nearest AV response location to Bendoc is actually Orbost. Mor-well is simply the location that initiates the dispatch of all Gippsland’s ambulances.”

The AV explains that a call from Bendoc would be received into the Operations Centre at Morwell and a dispatch provided according to clinical need.

Dependent upon the nature of the illness/injury and the availability of Orbost resources, the response may be attended by Ambulance Service New South Wales (ASNSW) or by Air Ambulance, Mr Cooke says.

The information requested from callers is complaint (inc medical history), street number and street name, and phone number. Whilst the postcode might be provided, it is normally required information.

Ambulance Victoria and ASNSW have established mutual support arrangements and it is common practice for Ambulances to operate across State boundaries to ensure that the most appropriate ambulance response is provided.

Mr Cooke said that residents in both Victorian and New South Wales communities should be reassured that they can continue to receive excellent services and encourages members of the public to provide the 000 caller with Street Number and Street Name and Town as the most important information to achieve the fastest and most appropriate response.