A new report on emergency response times could aid in attempts to have a NSW Ambulance station built and operating in Tocumwal.
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Efforts have been ongoing for a number of years, with community members and Berrigan Shire Council strongly advocating that the growing community should not have to rely on services in other communities.
Road blocks experienced to date have included arguments from decision makers that the town is well serviced by those surrounding stations and other first responder agencies, with most requests met within standard response times.
Berrigan Shire Council has welcomed the findings of the recent report from the NSW Auditor-General that supports its view that the response times previously provided in relation to ambulance attendance in Tocumwal are inaccurate.
The report sheds light on several critical areas, especially that prior reporting obscures differences in regional and metropolitan performance.
In correspondence to council received in 2022, Health Minister Ryan Park claimed that average response times for category 1 and 2 emergencies in Tocumwal were in the vicinity of eight minutes. Similar statistics have been quoted to media outlets.
“We knew these statistics could not be correct. Even with lights and sirens it would not be possible to get to Tocumwal in that time from the nearest ambulance station in Finley,” Berrigan Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean said.
Upon further enquiry, Berrigan Shire Council established the statistics quoted were for the ABS area ‘Upper Murray’.
“According to the ABS (Australia Bureau of Statistics), Upper Murray extends along the Murray River and has a population exceeding 40,000 people,” Cr Cornwell McKean said.
“Tocumwal is a tiny part of that region with a population of just under 3000.
“It was simply incorrect, unfair and insulting to suggest that the quoted statistics relate to ambulance response times in Tocumwal.”
The Mayor noted key findings within the report, one indicating that only one out of 15 indicators directly relate to clinical service delivery in regional NSW.
She said this stresses the need for a more focused approach in assessing and improving ambulance services in regional areas.
The report also points out the key performance indicator used to assess ambulance response times only reflects the fastest 50 per cent of incidents.
“Through an information request from New South Wales Ambulance received recently we have established that the average ambulance response time to Tocumwal is approximately 40 minutes, well outside even the regional statistics,” Cr Cornwell McKean said.
The report suggests that in 2022–23, the median response time for Priority 1A incidents was similar between metropolitan and regional zones (8.27 and 8.64 minutes, respectively).
However, when considering the 85th percentile, metropolitan performance (13.58 minutes) was significantly superior to regional performance (17.88 minutes).
This discrepancy highlights the need for improved system oversight and the development of new performance indicators aimed at the regional level by June 2025.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said the Auditor-General’s performance audit did find that since October 2022, NSW Ambulance response time performance (including in the Murrumbidgee zone) has improved, despite increasing demand.
According to NSW Ambulance response data for Tocumwal from 2022/2023, there were nine Priority 1A responses (immediately life-threatening highest emergency cases). Due to this small sample size an accurate median response time cannot be provided.
The median response time for emergency Priority 1 cases (response with lights and sirens) was 18.18 minutes. The median response time for Priority 2 cases (response with no lights and sirens) was 26.45 minutes.
The challenges faced by ambulances in regional NSW, such as greater travel distances and the provision of more non-emergency patient transport services, were also highlighted. The report emphasises that statewide performance metrics do not sufficiently reflect the performance in regional areas.
NSW Health has identified health outcomes in regional New South Wales as a strategic priority.
To improve oversight of system performance, it is recommended regional performance across key indicators be routinely considered, similar to the monitoring of transfer of care times at the individual Local Health District level.
“We are heartened to see that the audit office has recognised discrepancies in reporting response times and welcome further discussions with Minister Park and New South Wales Ambulance about establishing a permanent ambulance station in Tocumwal,” Cr Cornwell McKean said.
“We will continue to advocate strongly for the establishment of an ambulance station in Tocumwal. Our community deserves better.
“The establishment of an ambulance station in Tocumwal will significantly improve healthcare outcomes for our community.
“We look forward to further announcements and continued improvements in the delivery of ambulance services in regional New South Wales.”
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said the service operates a highly mobile workforce, with vehicles and crews moving throughout their shifts to provide geographical coverage of ambulance resources across the Berrigan Shire.
The service further highlighted that the audit report recognised that NSW Ambulance’s service and workforce planning is “evidence based, effective and efficient in delivering ambulance services for regional communities”.
“As part of our evidence-based service planning, New South Wales Ambulance regularly uses best practice modelling software to assess and analyse all locations across New South Wales to identify and prioritise the most suitable locations for emergency care. This analysis includes mapping and modelling Triple Zero (000) calls to potential station locations,” the spokesperson said.
“Tocumwal was not identified as a priority location, relative to other areas in service planning completed by New South Wales Ambulance in 2023.
“More than 20 other locations throughout regional New South Wales have been identified with a higher priority for new services than Tocumwal.
“The Tocumwal community has a New South Wales Ambulance Community First Responders (CFR) unit, established in 2010 in partnership with Fire and Rescue New South Wales.
“New South Wales Ambulance provides and trains CFR units to assist with timely responses to immediately life-threatening conditions including urgent CPR and defibrillation. Having a CFR partner on scene provides early clinical intervention and care to patients by partners who are trained, credentialed and tasked by New South Wales Ambulance until an ambulance nearby can respond.”
NSW Ambulance confirmed it would will meet with the Berrigan Shire Mayor next month as part of ongoing consultation on the delivery of timely emergency responses for the local community.
The current push for an ambulance station was re-instigated in 2020 after advocacy from the Tocumwal Ambulance Steering Committee.
The group is asking people to share their personal experiences with wait times and the service to support the campaign.
These experiences can be emailed to ambo4toc@berriganshire.nsw.gov.au, or provided in writing to the council office, shire libraries or the Tocumwal Visitor Information Centre.
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