St John WA too reliant on regional volunteers, WACHS tells inquiry

An ambulance ramping blame game has broken-out between WA Country Health Service and St John WA executives during a Parliamentary inquiry. Health bosses attacked St John WA’s over-reliance on regional volunteers in the Public Administration Committee inquiry hearing into WA ambulance services. The probe was sparked after ramping took five ambulances off the road every day in 2020-2021, and will determine whether the State Government shreds its contract with the provider and brings the service in-house. WACHS chair Neale Fong said although the organisation worked closely with St John WA, there appeared to be under-investment in the regions. Both he and WACHS chief executive Jeffrey Moffett believed it was not sustainable to have volunteers keeping rural sub-centres afloat. However, St John WA chief executive Michelle Fyfe said that was just an “opinion” and the volunteer model was in-fact sustainable. Ms Fyfe said the hard-work of community members ensured regional areas had ambulance services. She said there had been an increase in demand for services and more State Government funding could employ further paid career paramedics in centres like Geraldton and Bunbury. Ms Fyfe criticised the Health Department for making its ambulances wait outside emergency departments. However, she declined to reveal how much St John WA gets paid from the State Government when its ambulances are made to ramp. Health Minister Roger Cook also remained tight-lipped on the taxpayer-funded ramping bill. WA’s Director General of Health David Russell-Weisz admitted there was an issue inside hospitals when ramping occurred. It followed allegations of a “toxic culture” inside the St John WA organisation. Former Toodyay sub-centre volunteer Charles Wroth claimed he was sacked after raising systemic organisational issues at a conference. Ms Fyfe said she stood-by the company’s decision to terminate Mr Wroth, but would only provide further commentary behind closed doors in order to protect complainants who had raised issues about Mr Wroth.