Almost $60 million is set to be injected into the SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) to roll out an electronic patient care record system, build more ambulance stations and expand a key hospital avoidance team.
The funded projects in the 2024-25 State Budget are part of a plan to significantly boost the state’s ambulance service to help South Australians get the healthcare they need.
The State Government is investing $23.5 million over two years to enable SAAS to introduce an electronic patient care record (ePCR) system for the first time.
Ambulance crews will be equipped with electronic devices to enter their patient notes directly, eliminating the current need for paramedics handwriting patient case cards and subsequent data entry by support staff.
Connecting with the hospitals’ Sunrise electronic medical record system, the new ePCR system will streamline workflows and communication between ambulance and hospital staff, speeding up access by doctors and nurses to patients’ ambulance records.
The ePCR rollout will commence incrementally from mid next year, covering more than 500 ambulance fleet, including emergency and patient transport ambulances, MedSTAR and Special Operations Team vehicles, and light ambulance fleet.
The government is also investing $24 million for three new ambulance stations at Marion, Two Wells and Whyalla.
Two Wells will get its own ambulance station for the first time to service the expanding region in Adelaide's north which currently relies on crews based at the Mallala and Gawler stations.
Work will likely start on the new stations early next year and they’re expected to open in 2026.
A further $10.7 million has been allocated to expand one of SAAS's key hospital avoidance teams.
The Clinical Telephone Assessment (CTA) service - staffed by 15 Paramedic Telehealth Clinicians - aims to identify when an emergency response is required versus when a patient could see their regular care provider such as their GP or be referred to another suitable care pathway including the Hospital Avoidance and Supported Discharge Service or the Urgent Mental Health Care Centre.
Currently the CTA team only has capacity to intervene in around a third of the cases that could potentially benefit from clinical telehealth assessment, advice and referral.
The team presently assesses about 1400 patients a month, with about a quarter not needing an ambulance.
Within two years, the expansion is expected to nearly double assessments and significantly increase diversions from ambulance response, freeing up vital hospital capacity for higher acuity and emergency patients.
SA Ambulance Service CEO Rob Elliott welcomed the announcements.
“The introduction of an electronic patient care record will create efficiencies across the health system, which will ultimately lead to improved patient care,” Mr Elliott said.
“The Clinical Telephone Assessment (CTA) service plays a pivotal role in our emergency triage, providing invaluable insights into patients' needs and enabling us to collaboratively determine the most effective response.
“This service not only enhances our overall response times but also contributes to a reduction in unnecessary visits to hospital Emergency Departments over time.
"With this funding, SAAS will transition CTA operations into a 24-hour service, further bolstering our ability to serve the community.”
