A LIFE-SAVING Complex Patient Ambulance Vehicle (CPAV) has arrived in Ballarat and could begin transferring obese and specialty patients within weeks.
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Ambulance Victoria Grampians regional manager Greg Leach said the new vehicle had been delivered to Ballarat, with Ambulance Victoria and Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) staff meeting on Tuesday to discuss its operation.
“RFDS are going through the recruiting and training process – hopefully in the next six to eight weeks it would be operational,” Mr Leach said.
“Yesterday’s meeting was to have a preliminary look at it.”
Last year two Ballarat residents died after extended waits for CPAVs.
The Courier investigated use of Victoria’s CPAVs following the deaths and information supplied under Freedom of Information showed the average wait time in Ballarat during 2012 was 12 hours and 37 minutes, excluding those in the first quarter when pre-bookings were factored into response times.
Ambulance Victoria announced a CPAV ambulance for Ballarat in April of this year, amid ongoing calls from the community.
Mr Leach said the new medical unit would be run in partnership with RFDS.
It meant obese patients and patients with special health care needs would have access to a specialised vehicle based in Ballarat, he said.
But, there has been criticism over the unit’s limited hours of operation, as it is expected to be in service from 9am to 7pm seven-days-a-week.
Mr Leach said it was likely the service would be crewed on 10-hour day shifts only, but Ambulance Victoria was in talks with RFDS about their ability to recall crews if needed.
Patients are deemed to need a CPAV unit when they weigh in excess of 150 kilograms or are of “unusual proportion”.
These conditions often make transport on a standard stretcher or in a standard ambulance vehicle impractical or unsafe.
rachel.afflick@fairfaxmedia.com.au
