The New South Wales Ambulance Service is carrying out a trial in Newcastle to improve the response of its paramedics to emergencies.
The Paramedic Immediate Care Unit (PICU) involves the response by just one intensive-care paramedic to more cases, instead of two officers.
The ABC’s been told the new service is similar to the Rapid Response Unit where a smaller ambulance was sent quickly to sent to call outs.
That unit was scrapped, but the ambulance service hopes the new units prove more effective, because they are expected to speed up response times to urgent cases including major trauma and cardiac arrests.
The single officer responding is an Intensive Care Paramedic, the highest clinical level in the ambulance service.
The patient is assessed and another ambulance is called if the patient needs transport to hospital.
After the 10 week trial the program will be evaluated and reported back to the New South Wales Industrial commission.
If it is successful it could be rolled out to Sydney and Wollongong.
The trial is expected to provide additional ambulance services to outlying areas of the Hunter.
It is understood the Paramedic Immediate Care unit can be sent to outlying areas such as Cessnock and Rutherford so they can provide additional services to outlying areas.
While the aim is to improve response times, the ABC’s been told the Health Service Union and some ambulance officers are not convinced it will work.