United Workers Union welcomes $100 million funding boost to tackle emergency department demand in Queensland.<\/p>\n
Key elements of the funding include:<\/p>\n
Quotes attributable to United Workers Union National Ambulance Coordinator Fiona Scalon: <\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement includes a significant investment in opening new beds and freeing up existing one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe mental health co-responder model has been really successful. When there is a mental health professional on board with a paramedic it results in a 60 per cent decrease in hospital presentation – that has got to be good news for the current situation, the community and ambulance officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMental health co-responders have access to Queensland Health information for any given patients, which means they can intervene for these patients and direct them to the most appropriate place to seek support, instead of presenting at a hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen paramedics on the ground are able to transfer the care of patients to a transfer initiative nurse this allows them to get back out into the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne nursing professional can take the care of four patients which then frees up eight paramedics to be back out in the community. The maths just makes sense. $5 million will bolster the existing model and we would like to see as many transfer initiative nurses as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur members know the only way for this to work is if there\u2019s checks and balances to make sure the hospital and health services abide by where these people should be \u2013 not sucked into other parts of the hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe minute the pressure is off then this can happen unless there in a mechanism in place and a criteria for hospitals to follow at a local level. This is needed in the implementation of these funds.\u201d<\/p>\n
ENDS<\/b><\/p>\n