Page 2000 - Week 05 - Thursday, 16 May 2019
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(5) If an emergency ambulance crew seek to downgrade a priority one case to a priority two case, must the crew first seek approval from COMCEN.
(6) What reviews, reports or recommendations in the past 10 years have been made in relation to part (5).
Mr Gentleman: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) The data only dates back to 2011-12. The number of E000 calls received for medical assistance are as follows:
|
2011-12 |
2012-13 |
2013-14 |
2014-15 |
2015-16 |
2016-17 |
2017-18 | |
|
Calls |
29,071 |
31,572 |
33,053 |
35,505 |
37,100 |
38,944 |
40,954 |
(2) This cannot be measured in calls received, however, the number of medical assistance incidents in 2017-18 were categorised as follows:
a. Priority one – 20,463
b. Priority two – 22,265
c. Priority three – 514
(3) This cannot be measured in calls received, however, the breakdown of downgraded medical assistance incidents is as follows:
a. 4,362 jobs initially categorised as priority one were later downgraded. Cases are graded on the information available at the time. These may be re-graded as further information on the case becomes available.
b. The data format does not provide for determining whether calls were downgraded by the ambulance crew or the COMCEN.
(4) Current practice is for priority one cases to be initially graded by the call-taker (as per the ACTAS Clinical Dispatch Guidelines). The case may be subsequently re-graded by the paramedic communications centre clinician. Under the Australian Road Rules an ambulance crew must consider whether, based on the information provided by the COMCEN, a case is reasonable to treat as a priority one. If the ambulance crew do not consider the information reasonable, then they are required to seek clarification from the COMCEN. If there is no additional information, the crew is able to re-grade the case as a priority two case.
(5) As per the response to question 4.
(6) Crew re-grades of priority 1 cases were reviewed by ACTAS in 2014 and again in 2015. Subsequently, case re-grading has been monitored by Quality, Safety and Risk Management within ACTAS and cases are reviewed as needed.
Questions without notice taken on notice
Crime—shooting
Mr Gentleman (in reply to a supplementary question by Mrs Jones on Tuesday, 19 March 2019):
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