BATHURST paramedics have joined statewide industrial action in not billing patients for transport due to what they say is a “cash grab” by the NSW Government.
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From April 1, the government says every paramedic must have a Working With Children Check (WWCC) and the $80 fee must be paid by the employees themselves.
Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) secretary Steve Pearce says paramedics are not opposed to the check, however, they object to what they say is an “employer-based cost”.
“Sixteen thousand NSW Police and NSW Fire [and] Rescue staff have been granted an exemption from being slugged $80 for the WWCC out of their own pockets and as emergency services first responders we are not prepared to pay for something that should be covered by the employer,” Mr Pearce said.
“We want the public to know that paramedics have no issue at all to have a Working With Children Check.”
From 9pm on Wednesday, Bathurst paramedics joined colleagues across the state in imposing a ban on collecting billing information from patients, effectively giving them a free ride.
Mr Pearce said he was unable to provide data on how many responses Bathurst paramedics made on a daily basis.
“Bathurst is a fairly large regional centre and there would be a number of patients who would not have been charged,” he said.
“$300 is the minimum fee for a trip [in an ambulance].”
Mr Pearce said the total cost to the government to provide all NSW paramedics with a WWCC would be around $240,000.
Bathurst is a fairly large regional centre and there would be a number of patients who would not have been charged.
- Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) secretary Steve Pearce
He said the $80 WWCC fee was the “last straw” for the state’s paramedics following three years of understaffed ambulance stations and many people working 12-hour shifts with no meal breaks.
“The government expect more for less,” Mr Pearce said.
The Australian Paramedics Association held a media conference in Sydney on Thursday morning to discuss the industrial action, and Mr Pearce said the government was yet to respond.
During the latest reporting period (July-September, 2017) there were 311,679 ambulance responses across NSW, Bureau of Health Information data shows.