All-hours ambo crew in Wallaroo a region first

In a major boost to regional ambulance resources, SA Ambulance Service career paramedics will be based on the Yorke Peninsula 24 hours a day for the first time ever from this month.

It’s another milestone for the Government in delivering on its promise to deploy more ambos across South Australia, including regional areas where we continue to invest in better ambulance capacity and response times.

The crew of 12 career paramedics will initially be based in Moonta from 14 July before they move to the Wallaroo Ambulance Station later this year, following completion of its major upgrade and expansion. Work is already underway on the station upgrade, which will better support local emergency services and meet the needs of a growing team of local ambulance officers and paramedics.

Wallaroo’s newly deployed career paramedics will provide vital frontline services on a 24/7 basis, alongside the town’s existing volunteer and Regional Medical Transfer Service (RMTS) crews.

A new Community Paramedic is also being deployed to the Yorke Peninsula this month, providing local health and wellbeing support across the region between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

The upgraded Wallaroo Ambulance Station will feature a new training room to support local and regional volunteer ambulance officer training, made possible through a 90-square-metre extension, along with a new meals area, workstation and study space, crew room, two personal wellbeing and restorative break rooms, a linen room and other upgraded amenities and facilities.

There will be no impacts to ambulance services during the upgrade works thanks to measures put in place by SAAS. In addition to the new paramedics being temporarily based in Moonta, Wallaroo’s volunteer crews will operate out of the SAAS Kadina Station and RMTS staff will work at the nearby Wallaroo Hospital until the upgrade and expansion is complete.

Wallaroo ambulance crews responded to nearly 2,300 incidents in 2024 and the Malinauskas Government is committed to delivering them the best possible facilities so they can continue to deliver exceptional care to their community.

Quotes

Attributable to Chris Picton

Regional South Australia is benefiting from a significant boost this July, with 25 additional paramedics being delivered across Wallaroo, Whyalla, Port Augusta and a new community paramedic role dedicated to the Yorke Peninsula.

These extra boots on the ground will help to ensure faster, more responsive care across the Copper Coast, Yorke Peninsula and surrounds.

The addition of career paramedics providing 24/7 coverage to Wallaroo, Moonta and other communities on the Yorke Peninsula is a regional first, and they will be backed by the region’s existing RMTS and volunteer crews.

We’re delivering more paramedics, better facilities and a stronger health response for the Yorke Peninsula and surrounds, thanks to the Malinauskas Labor Government’s continued investment in regional health services.

Attributable to the Member for Narungga, Fraser Ellis MP

The volunteer ambulance model in regional South Australia is under enormous strain.

The 12 new paramedics will make an enormous difference in the Copper Coast region and beyond.

It will ease the burden on volunteers and provide improved care to those in desperate need of emergency care.

Attributable to the SA Ambulance Service’s Executive Director, Country Operations, Robert Tolson

The new recruits will directly strengthen patient care and our emergency readiness across South Australia. Every time we add more resources, we see clear improvements in reaching high-priority cases quickly and effectively.

These recruitments are a major milestone for the SA Ambulance Service. I want to thank our dedicated teams for their extraordinary effort in managing this expansion alongside our daily operations and ongoing projects.

I’m particularly excited about the new Community Paramedic role for the Yorke Peninsula. This role extends beyond emergency response to provide proactive healthcare - offering wellness checks, chronic disease management, and health education. We’ve successfully implemented this program in Robe and Ceduna, and the positive impact on those communities has been remarkable.