AMBULANCE Victoria has slashed paramedic staffing levels by more than 2200 shifts in 16 months, a move union officials say risks lives.
Paramedics say Ambulance Victoria tried to cover up the rampant cost-cutting by forcing them to create ''ghost crews'' - ambulances that are logged into a central database, but sit empty with no staff to drive them.
The figures, released to the Ambulance Employees Association under freedom-of-information laws, show an average of almost 32 shifts a week were cut between July 2010 and November last year.
A paramedic, who did not wish to be named, said patients had a right to feel betrayed if an ambulance was delayed because of a cancelled shift.
''The community thinks an ambulance is going to be there when they need it, but it's impossible if there's no crew,'' he said.
''The figures don't look good, but the real issue is when someone's dying and there's no ambulance available for an hour.''
Ambulance union Victorian general secretary Steve McGhie said Ambulance Victoria had repeatedly let staff numbers fall dangerously low across the state. He said duty managers tried to ''fudge the figures'' by asking paramedics to leave mobile data terminals, which are only in metropolitan ambulances, switched on at the end of their shifts.
Ambulance Victoria denied the ''ghost shifts'' allegation, but Mr McGhie said members told the union that management regularly asked them to leave their terminals on.
''It's damning that Ambulance Victoria has dropped this many shifts. There's no doubt it's endangered lives,'' Mr McGhie said.
''The figures mean that some towns and some suburbs routinely had no ambulance, despite paramedics being available to work.
''And they try to make the figures look better on a daily basis by asking paramedics to stay logged on after their shift.''
More shifts were cancelled in the metropolitan area, 760, than in any other Ambulance Victoria region. The Hume region, which includes Shepparton, Wodonga, Wangaratta and Seymour, had 383 cancellations, the most in country Victoria. In a 2010 Auditor-General's report Hume was found to have the worst ambulance response times in Victoria.
Ambulance Victoria regional services general manager Tony Walker said the service tried to ensure paramedics were rostered to each shift.
He said more than 150,000 shifts were rostered each year, with extra shifts designated for major events and busy periods.
''Like any one else, paramedics are human and they get sick,'' he said. ''We explore all options to fill those vacancies including offering overtime. However, if no one volunteers for that shift then it is not filled.
''The best way to minimise dropped shifts is by more paramedics, and we have 268 new paramedics currently in the process of starting work at branches with 90 of those commencing over the past two months. We will continue to work with government to ensure that our recruitment levels match our needs.''
A spokesman for Health Minister David Davis said the government would spend $151 million recruiting 340 additional ambulance staff and $16 million building more ambulance stations to turn around ''Labor's mismanagement''.
Opposition health spokesman Gavin Jennings said the ambulance service was underfunded.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ambulances-left-idle-as-staff-levels-slashed-20120119-1q8eu.html#ixzz1jwivJYBl
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