Annual Report - Ambulance Service of NSW

Management ReportA six-part documentary series entitled HELP took SBS viewers on a ride along withparamedics. The series, produced by Kudos Films, involved a number of patientswho had English as a second language and provided an insight into how differentcultures respond to medical emergencies.People with a First Language other than English:Promotion of employment opportunities including traineeambulance officers and patient transport positions at severalcareer expos to people with a first language other thanEnglish. This resulted in 14 per cent of successful patienttransport applicants having a first language other thanEnglish.Workplace Behaviour Standards: To promote staffunderstanding of the behavioural governance framework, allnew staff were trained in behavioural expectations and theCode of Conduct.Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S): A Smoke-freeWorkplace Policy was implemented banning smoking inAmbulance premises and vehicles. Continued improvementin the effectiveness of workplace OH&S through furthertraining in risk assessment, manual handling andoccupational violence programs delivered across all levelswithin Ambulance. Ambulance received the TreasuryManagement Fund Award on OH&S Stream – SafetyLeadership and Accountability.Future initiativesAboriginal Employment: Continue to build on thesuccesses of our Aboriginal Employment Strategy andprovide appropriate services at Aboriginal communityevents.Bullying and Harassment: Build on the existing initiatives toincrease staff satisfaction by promoting a bullying andharassment free work environment.Health and Wellbeing: Identify and develop appropriatehealth and wellbeing programs to support staff welfare.Develop and implement policies and guidelines for managingwork-related fatigue.OH&S: Implementation of NSW Health OH&S InjuryManagement Numerical Profile to facilitate auditing andcontinuous improvement culture in OH&S.Workplace Safety: Implementation of NSW HealthChemical Management System to manage workplacechemicals effectively.Ethnic Affairs Priority StatementMajor Goals and OutcomesLIFE…Live it Save it!: Education program for retirees on signsand symptoms of medical emergencies; importance of callingTriple Zero; and call-taker instructions prior to ambulancearrival was delivered to community cultural groups.Be an Ambulance Hero: Dial Zero Zero Zero: A teaching kitfor students on how and when to call an Ambulance, coveringvital information which could save a life. The program waspresented in numerous schools with a multicultural population.Future initiativesTraining Package: Develop a Multicultural Communicationtraining package to be delivered to all new operational staff.National Triple Zero Campaign: Triple zero, the Australia-wideemergency number, received 63 per cent of non-emergencycalls in 2005/06. A community education campaign will belaunched to reinforce the correct use of this service, includingthose people with a non-English speaking background.Ambulance Patient Satisfaction Survey: A culture andlanguage question will be added to the survey and the dataanalysed for future programs.Multicultural Communication Course: Develop a trainingcourse focusing on multicultural needs in the provision ofemergency health care.Disability Action PlanMajor Goals and OutcomesVision Impairment: A policy on the transportation of seeingeyedogs was developed in conjunction with Guide Dogs ofAustralia and Vision Australia.Accessibility: Dubbo and Port Macquarie Ambulance Stationsnow have suitable access for people with disabilities.Disabilities: Ambulance continued to participate in theApprenticeships for People with Disabilities Scheme.Future initiativesAccessibility: All new buildings and major renovations willcomply to standards for access by people with disabilities.Ambulance Service of New South Wales Annual Report 2006/07 29