Beyond the Safe City Social Innovation Forum

Susie Dean Senior Team Manager, Central & Footscray

What does AV have in Melbourne CBD?

Three ambulance stations based in the city area, crewed 24 hours per day, 7 days a week Combination of ambulances crewed by two paramedics as well as single-responder MICA and motorcycle paramedics Respond to over 2000 triple-0 calls per month within CBD and surrounds

AVs CBD challenges = three short words:

Drugs Alcohol Violence

Paramedics in the city will experience more than double the number of alcohol and drug affected patients than in any other LGA in Victoria. (Lloyd B.
(2013). Trends in alcohol and drug related ambulance attendances in Victoria: 2011/12. Fitzroy, Victoria: Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre )

Alcohol and assaults

City-based paramedics attend over 2000 cases per month 2011/2012, 2580 responses were to patients whose main complaint related to drugs or alcohol Alcohol-related attendances increase with public events, heat and holiday celebrations, with 52% recorded as being in a public place. Over 40% of alcohol-related attendances are between 10pm 2am on Saturday and Sunday nights. Reported assaults on paramedics average one every two days, with one every 11 days linked to patient use of drugs Jan-August 2013.

Violence as recorded by Victoria Police

Recorded offences against paramedics 20032013
10 9 8 7 6

5
4 3 2 1 0 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 ASSAULT OPERATIONAL STAFF - AMBULANCE OBSTRUCT OPERATIONAL STAFF - AMBULANCE HINDER OPERATIONAL STAFF - AMBULANCE

Physical assaults are on the increase

20% of all alcohol-related ambulance attendances with the LGA of Melbourne required Police to attend in 2012/2013. 2012/13 97 reported cases of physical assault against paramedics were among 247 reported cases of aggression or assault against paramedics. 2011/12 135 reported cases of physical assault against paramedics were among 218 reported cases of aggression/assault against paramedics.

2010/11
128 reported cases of physical assault against paramedics were among 285 reported cases of aggression/assault against paramedics.

Whats the impact on paramedics?

Physical harm Psychological harm Short and long-term absence from workplace Permanent disability impacting family and home life

Case study on an assaulted paramedic

Early hours of the morning over long-weekend Drug and alcohol affected male patient Initially unconscious and not breathing After treatment, became suddenly aggressive and physically violent Resulted in two paramedics being injured, one requiring hospitalisation Off work for five months, requires ongoing treatment two years later Significant impact on professional and personal life from injury Offender was not charged with assaulting the paramedics under the assault/ obstruct paramedic provisions of the Summary Offences Act, due to being a patient.

What are AV doing to make it safer?

Increased information communicated to paramedics on dispatch of case Training in verbal de-escalation techniques Upgraded personal and vehicle-based duress alarms Ambulances not dispatched into situations deemed unsafe from information available at time of call Single-responders not sent into unknown or potentially violent situations In-field support for paramedics from managers

What does AV need to make it safer?

Zero tolerance media and police campaign on violence towards paramedics, health and ESO staff Expansion of current Summary Offences Act to include patients assaulting paramedics Increased penalties for continued serving of alcohol to intoxicated patrons Additional options for care of intoxicated and drug-affected members of the community - transport home is key area of focus Change in public culture intoxication doesnt equate to medical emergency