ACT Ambulance Service Roster Review

The ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS) has released a review of the first 12 months of a new emergency operations roster.

The review provides insights into performance, challenges, and opportunities for improvement as ACTAS continues to enhance service delivery.

How the review was conducted

This review assessed the implementation and impact of the new rostering model through operational data, staff feedback and system level analysis.

Key findings

• The roster supports strong staff fatigue management principles and remains a credible model, but its effectiveness has been constrained by wider pressures across the service and sector.
• These pressures include persistent workforce shortages, under-resourced enabling functions and rising demand.
• With last year ACTAS receiving a record number of 000 calls, this review showed that ACTAS, similar to ambulance services nationally, is operating under sustained pressure due to growing community demand and a rise in low-acuity cases.
• These pressures are having an impact on ACTAS staff and are therefore driving late finishes, impacting response performance and eroding the resilience of the service.
• This report does not diminish the dedication or capability of ACTAS staff, it highlights the pressures they face and the opportunities to better support them.

Recommendations

The roster review outlines 13 recommendations, they are listed below.

1. Increase frontline staffing to an agreed funding level to meet roster requirements and restore service resilience.
2. Establish a clear methodology to monitor service health and inform an appropriate relief ratio.
3. Develop and resource a sustainable recruitment and retention strategy.
4. Monitor workforce trends and attrition data in real time to identify emerging risks and adapt strategies quickly.
5. Support critical capabilities and resolve organisational inefficiencies and inconsistent practices.
6. Strengthen leave management governance to ensure fair and consistent processes while addressing rising liabilities.
7. Establish leave utilisation performance targets.
8. Strengthen governance and evaluation of professional development time to maximise its benefit.
9. Strengthen data systems and enable integrated reporting.
10. Improve consistency and governance of workforce and operational data.
11. Strengthen and expand secondary triage and referral pathways for low-acuity demand.
12. Strengthen governance and change management capability.
13. Strengthen leadership and capability to support change initiatives.

What’s next?

The ACT Emergency Services Agency will engage with staff, the TWU and government stakeholders to thoroughly consider the reports recommendations and develop an action plan.