Triple zero calls for medical emergencies won't go unanswered in the Southern Highlands.
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NSW Ambulance has reassured residents that help would be provided if called in an emergency.
This is in response to the increased demands of paramedics and Ambulance crews as they respond to the current COVID-19 outbreak.
However, crews from the Southern Highlands may be required to transport patients to other parts of Sydney and vice versa.
Bowral and District Hospital is part of the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) which covers Campbelltown, Camden, Liverpool, Fairfield, Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospitals.
A SWSLHD spokesperson previously told the Southern Highland News that any patient in the Southern Highlands with suspected COVID-19 would be transported via ambulance to Liverpool, Campbelltown or Wollongong if they required specialised care for COVID-19.
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said the closest available paramedic would always be deployed to any emergency.
"NSW Ambulance paramedics are a mobile workforce and crews are deployed dynamically to areas of high demand," they said.
According to the Bureau of Health Information for the April - June 2021 quarter, the average median time it took an ambulance to reach an emergency case in the Southern Highlands was 15.4 minutes.
Emergency cases are classified as priority one (P1) by NSW Ambulance and require an immediate response under lights and siren.
For life-threatening cases, the average response time was 9.7 minutes.
Cases involving patients with a life-threatening condition are classified as the highest priority (P1A) by NSW Ambulance and include events such as cardiac or respiratory arrest, unconsciousness and ineffective breathing.
For urgent cases, the average response time was 25 minutes. Urgent cases are classified as priority 2 (P2) by NSW Ambulance and require an undelayed response without lights and a siren.
Ambulance response time refers to the period from the placement of a Triple Zero (000) call 'in queue' for ambulance dispatch until the first vehicle arrives at the scene.
The spokesperson for NSW Ambulance also reaffirmed that the safety of all frontline paramedics and their families and patients remained a priority as they continued to respond to the current COVID-19 outbreak.
"NSW Ambulance has a vaccination rate of more than 96 per cent among our staff," they said.
"It is important to note that data is still being reconciled and that 96 per cent is an underestimation of the total number of vaccinated staff.
"Paramedics are required to wear full PPE (eye protection, P2/N95 mask, gowns and gloves) for every patient contact and ambulances are decontaminated following the treatment of each patient.
"NSW Ambulance has introduced rapid antigen testing as an added line of surveillance to assist in earlier identification of some cases and reducing the risk to community and paramedics."
In April, NSW Ambulance added a further 100 paramedics across the health network earlier than planned to deliver on the NSW Government's commitment to recruit 750 new paramedics and control centre staff over four years from 2018.
A spokesperson said it was one year ahead of schedule.
"As part of an unprecedented surge to our workforce, 120 extra paramedics have been deployed since July 3, including 60 that commenced road duties on Saturday, September 11," they said.
"This is in addition to 31 casual paramedics who have been employed on short-term contracts to assist in Sydney's west and southwest and 136 graduates who commenced on September 25 together with four paramedics trained interstate."
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