An anonymous triple zero call-taker at SA Ambulance says she regularly feels “sick to my stomach” when she has the desperate family of an ill patient on the phone and no crews to send.
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During Friday’s Breaking @ 8 segment, David Penberthy read a message from the employee who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being identified by management:
“We are spectacularly understaffed,” Penbo read. “As a call-taker we regularly can’t answer triple 0 calls as we are already all on the phone… you’re constantly thinking I need to answer this call because it could be someone in cardiac arrest but you can’t as you’re already on a call.”
“I sit there and listen to my dispatcher constantly scrambling for crews to send. When I’m on a call with someone who is really sick and I have to stay on the phone with them I look at my screen and feel sick to my stomach as there is no crew to send. The family are on the phone saying where are the crews? And I’m just sitting there thinking to myself we don’t have one.
“we need a new building but most of all we need more resources. Enough is enough.”
LISTEN to the full segment including chilling call centre audio and interviews with several other employees here:
