Latest news with #RobElliott
ABC News
14-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Ambulance union raises response time concerns after man's death at Sellicks Hill
Concerns about ambulance ramping and resourcing have been raised by the state's ambulance union in the wake of the death of a man involved in a car crash at Sellicks Hill, south of Adelaide, on Saturday morning. The Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) said it took 17 minutes for an ambulance crew to arrive at the scene of the category one case — which in metropolitan areas would require a response within eight minutes in 60 per cent of cases. Health Minister Chris Picton said the patient was "outside the Adelaide metropolitan area". South Australia's Ambulance Service (SAAS) chief executive Rob Elliott said the patient was seen as soon as possible "on our most urgent priority", with multiple resources sent to the scene He said it was "not very sensible" to aim for an eight minute response time in regional areas where towns could be sparsely located and that SAAS instead endeavoured to "make sure that we have good regional coverage, good access to resources". He extended his sympathy to the man's family, and praised the "extraordinary" efforts of the bystanders and paramedics who attended the scene. AEA general secretary Paul Ekkelboom said the case was initially triaged as a category two but within two minutes was upgraded to a category one case where "every minute counts". He said the "number one thing" affecting ambulance response times was available crews. "When we don't have crews sitting on station or actively free to respond then it's going to be a delay to get a crew to respond to a patient," he said. "When they're stuck on a ramp, then obviously we can't free them up to respond to the community. "The real effect is obviously when we can't get to our patients in time to administer life-saving care." When asked if the man in this case would have survived if the ambulance response time was faster, Mr Elkkelboom said he was "unsure" but added that he did not have all the patient's medical history. "What we do know is if we can get there in a timely fashion, oxygenate the brain, and keep that blood pumping and give them the life-saving care that [is] needed, there's a good opportunity that we might be able to get a favourable outcome," he said. He said bystanders at the scene did their best to help while awaiting the arrival of paramedics. While he said demand on the health system was high, Mr Ekkelboom acknowledged the government had planned to open more beds later in the year. "I don't want to see another patient in the community experience what unfortunately happened to that gentleman over the weekend," he said. Mr Picton said at the time, the ambulance from the closest station "was at another job in the community, assisting someone else". "Our crews did everything they could to get to that case as soon as possible," he said. Mr Picton said that because the case occurred outside the metropolitan area, the eight minute response time goal applicable to metropolitan areas did not apply. When asked, he said ramping did not play a role in this case "based on the regional location". Last month's ramping numbers were the second highest on record, with ambulances spending 5,387 hours waiting. Mr Picton said the state's health system — including the ambulance service — was currently dealing with the highest number of influenza cases in the state for the past decade. He said while 2,000 influenza cases had been recorded in the past week, the numbers were "vastly underestimated" because not everyone with the flu had a PCR test. There were 164 hospital admissions due to the flu. "Our health system is under pressure, we know that the flu numbers are up, we know that admissions to hospitals are significantly up, but our doctors, nurses and ambos are working as hard as they can — particularly to see the most urgent cases — to make sure that people can get the care that they need," he said.
News.com.au
28-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Emergency help, healthcare and fitness in infrastructure spotlight
A flagship new SA Ambulance Service headquarters at Mile End South is a gamechanger for the organisation, says chief executive officer Rob Elliott. The new $120 million hub – which includes an Emergency Operations Centre, State Health Co-ordination Centre and Adelaide Ambulance Station – provides the space and technology needed to manage a modernised ambulance service. It is a key part of what Elliott describes as 'the biggest episode of growth' he has witnessed in his more than three decades at SAAS – and a 'significant investment' in the future of emergency ambulance services in the state. 'Construction of the new ambulance headquarters and the Adelaide station at Mile End South is progressing as planned – both on time and within budget,' he says. 'The Emergency Operations Centre is taking shape, with ceilings and glass partitions now installed on the ground floor. Critical communications and electrical areas are being fitted out, while the facade of the new ambulance station is nearly complete and internal works continue.' The new headquarters will house more than 338 personnel, including Triple Zero (000) call takers and dispatchers and clinical staff. 'It will also serve as the new home for the State Health Co-ordination Centre, enhancing our ability to coordinate patient care across the state,' Elliott says. 'We anticipate practical completion of the new HQ and Adelaide ambulance station in the coming months, with plans to commence operations at the new site in December this year.' The operational move to the new building will take a staged approach to ensure critical Triple Zero (000) call services remain uninterrupted, safeguarding the ambulance service's capacity to respond to emergencies without compromise during the relocation process. 'Ensuring no impact on patient safety, uninterrupted Triple Zero (000) services, and robust support for relocating teams are our top priorities during this operational transition,' Elliott says. 'These commitments are vital to maintaining emergency care to the people of South Australia.' The soon-to-be completed headquarters complements the construction, upgrade and rebuild of 24 ambulance stations throughout Adelaide and regional SA. Stations have been completed and are now open at Norwood, Woodville, Edwardstown, Port Augusta, Mount Barker, Victor Harbor, Birdwood and Strathalbyn, with construction nearly complete on a new Gawler station. Rebuilding work on the Campbelltown centre is also under way. Construction of Whyalla, Marion and Two Wells stations is also scheduled to commence this year. Aside from the new and revamped stations, the investment in the SAAS will see 350 more paramedics, ambulance officers, clinical leaders and emergency medical dispatchers across the state, along with 36 more ambulances on the road by 2026. 'It is the biggest episode of growth I have seen in my 35 years at SAAS,' Elliott says. 'The fact we have been able to achieve it is extraordinary. It's a whole-of-organisation effort – this has affected our fleet department in terms of new ambulances and equipment, our corporate services in terms of the new builds and recruitment, and operational staff for increased training. It's been a fantastic couple of years.' The investment has resulted in significant improvements in emergency response times. 'Our lights and sirens responses are priority one and priority two,' Elliott says. 'Priority twos are the majority of our responses and we have managed to effectively double our performance in the past two years, which is just extraordinary. And we're not stopping yet – we're striving to improve even more.' A new team of 20 ambulance officers has been recruited to better transfer patients out of hospitals – getting them home sooner and freeing up beds for others – while SAAS is also introducing an electronic patient care record (ePCR) system to improve patient safety in the field, while expanding the clinical telephone assessment telehealth service and establishing a mental health focused role 24/7. 'That's an absolute innovation here in South Australia,' Elliott says. 'We partnered with the Hospital Research Foundation to trial having a dedicated mental health focused service. 'The trial was really successful, offering patient safety and some really good outcomes, so with the recent investment we are turning that into a 24/7 service, another first for paramedicine.' New health era for SA families South Australian families will be the key beneficiaries of the new Women's and Children's Hospital, on the edges of Adelaide's north-west parklands. Being built to replace the ageing North Adelaide hospital, the contemporary facilities at the former SA Police Barracks site at Thebarton will have more beds, theatres and greater emergency capacity – and increased scope for future expansion. Slated for completion in 2031, it is planned to provide capacity for 414 overnight beds – 56 more than the existing hospital – with plans for an onsite helipad. An integrated four-bed Intensive Care Unit will enable women requiring critical care to remain on site rather than be transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Department for Health and Wellbeing deputy chief executive Judith Formston, above, says a key benefit of the 'new vibrant hospital' – aside from its parkland setting within Adelaide's burgeoning bio-med precinct – will be the greater scope for families of young patients to stay with them. 'The family accommodation will be a huge step up,' she says. 'At the moment if you're staying with your child in hospital there's not as many opportunities to stay and be comfortable so this will be a huge benefit. 'If you go to the hospital and you end up staying with your child, quite often you'll have a chair, or a fold-out bed to lay on, but the new hospital will actually have it set up so family members can stay there more comfortably, with in-patient rooms planned to have a day bed which doubles as a sleeping space for parents or support people. 'In addition to this, the new hospital is proposed to include a Centralised Family Accommodation Unit, which will cater for a short-term stay of an additional parent or carer of a baby.' Formston says the family-first focus is just one of the benefits of building a brand-new hospital, with the opportunity to design a facility to deliver a more innovative 'patient experience' right from the start. Construction on the 5.7-ha site began in April 2024, when the first sod was turned on what had been the long-standing police base. The first stage included the construction of a car park and precinct works. A second team – including a consortium of architecture firms Billard Leece Partnership, Bates-Smart, Grieve Gillett and Taylor Cullity Lethlean – was appointed this month to lead the design of the main clinical building and remaining precinct works. Formston says during its construction peak there is likely to be a 2100-strong workforce at the site, which will be dominated by up to seven tower cranes. 'We've done a lot of work with the clinicians and the hospital staff around what they need for a new hospital,' she says. 'We've fed that through to the design team, who will now look at how to best deliver it.' Easy patient flow throughout the hospital is key. 'We want to make sure that the flows are set up so the minute you're entering the hospital, the wayfinding's right,' Formston says. 'Do people actually need to wait in the waiting room or can you now do a digital set-up so you can actually go and wait down in the park or the playgrounds? We need to work out how we can actually enable that patient experience when they come into the hospital.' Formston says with the buildings at the current North Adelaide hospital on average almost 70 years of age, upgrading – and building out – to meet modern standards is virtually impossible. 'The clinical adjacencies aren't right there because you keep bolting on bits and pieces as services expand – so building a new hospital actually helps you get it right from the start around how the patients will flow through the system,' she says. Building healthcare in Adelaide's south Foundations are now being poured for the centrepiece of a half-billion-dollar investment in the health infrastructure of Adelaide's southern suburbs. The 7-storey building at the front of the Flinders Medical Centre, due for delivery in 2028, will reshape the services offered by the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. 'The first of two tower cranes is on site, with the second arriving in July,' SALHN chief executive officer Kerrie Mahon says of the Acute Services Building. 'This project will deliver an additional 98 beds, including 18 medical day unit beds, 64 inpatient beds, and 16 intensive care unit beds. 'They are core to the types of patients who present to an emergency department. 'They will help us move patients through to the right sort of beds they need sooner.' The 98 beds add to extra capacity already opened recently in SALHN at the Repat Health Precinct and within Flinders Medical Centre. The existing Intensive Care Unit in the FMC will remain in operation, integrated with the new unit under the same leadership. More patient capacity is also being created by expanding the mental health focused Margaret Tobin Centre – adjacent to FMC – and the Noarlunga Hospital. Construction work on those two projects is well advanced. The investment of $498 million at the FMC and the Repat is being funded by the state and federal governments, with the $74 million at Noarlunga funded by the SA Government. 'As a collective, all of these upgrades and new buildings will work really well together to respond to the community's needs from the emergency department right through to surgery, and inpatient stays,' Mahon says. A floor at the new Acute Services Building will be dedicated to ophthalmology, and include two operating theatres and, for the first time at FMC, a separate paediatric ophthalmology area. The top two floors of the new building will each house 32 beds for adult inpatients. Most will be single rooms to improve progression-of-care and reduce cross-infection risks. 'We're also provisioning for fold-out beds for a support person,' Mahon says. 'We do have regional and remote people come in, so that will be available when needed. 'There will be quiet rooms and lounge areas where families can visit if they don't need to stay. It will be a beautiful facility, with lovely western views out toward the sea.' The Acute Services Building will have four new operating theatres and related recovery spaces. On completion, FMC will then have 16 operating theatres. 'This will certainly give us more capacity to move through our elective surgery waiting lists,' Mahon says. The new building will become the main entrance with improved access, including a drop-off zone covered against the weather. Ready to make a splash The new Adelaide Aquatic Centre is taking shape, with expectations that water-lovers will be able to make a splash this summer. The concrete structures for the pools at the North Adelaide complex – which replaces the former centre in Pardipardinyilla/Denise Norton Park – have progressively been completed, with testing to ensure their integrity ongoing as the main structure is being built. The new $135 million centre will boast a host of family-friendly features, from a 50m pool, a 25m outdoor pool and dedicated learn-to-swim and warm water rehabilitation pools through to an outdoor lagoon and 'splash pad' and water slides, as well as extensive gym and fitness facilities. Department for Infrastructure and Transport executive director, Infrastructure Delivery, Simon Morony says progress is continuing 'really well'. 'We've planned the construction phase from a long time out, including the demolition of the former centre,' he says. 'Construction's been under way for around 18 months – and it's really taking shape on site. 'The timber frames and pool structures are all complete and we've been busy testing those to make sure the pools are all watertight. 'And then in the coming months, there'll be a lot more progress on the internal fit-out. And there'll be external elements such as the water slides being installed as well. 'We're on track for opening this summer and looking forward to achieving that – as we get a bit closer to completion we'll be able to confirm an opening date.' The design intent – which is being constructed by contractor Sarah Constructions – is centred around the creation of high-quality spaces that use warm and natural tones to reflect the local landscape. There is also a strong focus on ensuring the spaces are welcoming for people of all ages, cultures and abilities. 'The previous centre had come to the end of its lifespan, but we know it was an important facility for the community and the new centre will serve many generations to come,' Morony says. The 'carefully considered' design takes in a number of environmentally sustainable features, while the centre's smaller footprint ensures more than 1000sqm is returned to Park Lands. 'It's an all-electric centre, powered by 100 per cent renewable energy,' he says. 'The building itself has been designed to be airtight, which gives you an improved indoor air quality and importantly enhances the operational energy efficiency. 'The ultra-fine pool filtration systems also provide operational benefits – and then there's other components to the facility, such as solar panels, EV charging stations, sun shading on the facade – and a water-sensitive urban design car park as well.' Site enabling works started in late 2023, with the main construction starting in 2024. The building phase has offered plenty of employment opportunities, which will flow through to the centre once it's open to the public under the management of experienced operators YMCA Aquatic. 'More than 1500 jobs are being supported over the life of the construction phase and that's from builders and engineers to plumbers and painters,' Morony says. 'We obviously needed a whole raft of different skill sets to build what is a state-of-the-art centre. 'Sarah Constructions has inducted more than 1300 people to the construction site. And those 1300 people so far have completed more than 230,000 hours worth of work. 'In terms of the operations, up to 300 jobs will be created to staff the new aquatic centre – that's lifeguards, instructors, administration staff and so on.' Staff who worked at the former Aquatic Centre will be given the first opportunity to express their interest at filling the roles with YMCA Aquatic, a non-profit community organisation that also operates the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre at Oaklands Park. Morony is confident the new swimming centre will more than meet community expectations. 'I think it's going to give people a fantastic new place to come and swim for fitness or for fun,' he says. 'So if you're a serious swimmer you can get out there and really utilise the place but others might just come to it to improve or maintain their fitness. 'It really will offer a range of uses for everyone who wants to visit.' Elbie set for the life aquatic Little Elbie won't be able to stop himself from taking the plunge when the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre opens, his mum Rachael Neumann reckons. 'He will be jumping in from the side with enthusiasm, that's for sure,' she says of her water-baby son, who has been a regular participant of learn-to-swim classes since he was only six months of age. 'And even before we started taking him to swimming lessons, he's always enjoyed the water and swimming pools whenever we've been on holidays – and he just loves the beach.' When the North Adelaide centre closed for the construction of the new facility, Rachael and husband Brandon, of Bowden, elected to continue Elbie's learn-to-swim lessons in Unley. 'The whole (replacement swim centre) process has been really smooth and helpful, but we're looking forward to coming back to North Adelaide because it's much closer to home,' she says. The completed centre will include a host of features including a dedicated learn-to-swim pool, a lagoon outdoor pool, an outdoor 'splash pad' and extensive gym and fitness facilities. 'We're just really excited to see the new centre,' Rachael says. 'It will be great to have something to do while we tag team and watch Elbie swim. I'll be able to go and swim laps myself and if there's a good gym in the same centre, then that might be useful as well.'
CBC
28-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Aislinn Clancy projected to win in Kitchener Centre
Green candidate Aislinn Clancy is projected to win in Kitchener Centre. With 43 of 61 polls reporting, Clancy has 18,642 votes with the PC's Rob Elliott in second place with 9,207 votes. Clancy will retain her seat. She previously won the byelection in November 2023. The candidates in Kitchener Centre were (in alphabetical order by last name): Sebastian Butnar-Stoica, Ontario Party. Aislinn Clancy, Green (incumbent). Rob Elliott, Progressive Conservatives. Colleen James, Liberal. Christopher Nuhn, Independent. Paul Simoes, New Blue Party. Brooklin Wallis, NDP. Sebastian Butnar-Stoica, the Ontario Party candidate, is a vehicle service technician. The Ontario Party's motto is "freedom, family and faith" and the party was started by former Conservative MP Derek Sloan. Aislinn Clancy, the Green candidate, is the most recent MPP for Kitchener Centre. Prior to winning the November 2023 byelection, she served as a Kitchener city councillor after winning a seat in the October 2022 municipal election. Before that, she was a social worker in the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. Rob Elliott, the PC candidate, also ran as the PC candidate in the 2023 byelection. His bio on the website for the company Counsel Public Affairs, a consulting firm, says he has 15 years of experience working in government and public affairs. Colleen James, the Liberal candidate, is currently a Region of Waterloo councillor who has taken leave for the duration of the campaign. Prior to that, James founded Divonify Inc., a consulting firm for equity and inclusion. Christopher Nuhn is running in the election as an independent candidate, meaning he has no party affiliation. He says on his Facebook page that his "agenda is Kitchener first, party politics last." Paul Simoes, the New Blue Party, ran in the November 2023 byelection. He runs a martial arts business. Brooklin Wallis, the NDP candidate, ran in the October 2022 municipal election in Kitchener. A transgender activist, Wallis is a board member at Spectrum, Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space. Riding history The riding has existed since 1999 and was created from the ridings of Kitchener and Kitchener-Wilmot. The first Member of Provincial Parliament to serve the riding was Progressive Conservative Wayne Wettlaufer, who held the seat in Kitchener from 1995 to 1999, then Kitchener Centre from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, Wettlaufer lost his bid for re-election to Liberal John Milloy. Milloy served as the riding's MPP, and served in several cabinet positions, until 2014, when he did not seek re-election. In 2014, TV broadcaster Daiene Vernile ran for the Liberals and won. The NDP's Laura Mae Lindo defeated Vernile in 2018 and served until July 2023, when she stepped down from the role. A byelection was held in November 2023, which was won by Green candidate Aislinn Clancy.
