Towns without ambos and paramedics due to staff shortage

The far western NSW towns critically left without ambulance and paramedics service often occurring for long hours due to staffing shortages are Lake Cargelligo, Condobololin, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, and Coonamble.

Paramedics in NSW are in the middle of a five-day industrial campaign.

According to the NSW Australian Paramedics Association's zone spokesman, Scott Beaton, they have demanded an increase in regional staff because when paramedics crew stationed in these towns respond to out-of-town patient transfers and emergencies, they are left on their own.

"We are asking for more paramedics because we are exhausted..these towns are left uncovered for very long hours and sometimes for hours to no end when crews go out of town," Mr Beaton said.

"Every town has a paramedics' crew but often called out for patients' transfer...they need to bring forward the recommendations in the [regional health services] inquiry."

The APA wants the government to commit to further funding for specialists and community care, to increase paramedic staff numbers by at least 1500, and to lift paramedics' wages.

Mr Perrottet said on Friday that further funding would be committed to paramedics in the June budget.

"[That funding is] incredibly important because they do an amazing job on our front line every single day," he said.

The Orana and Central West zone's current full-time staff number is 136, with 12 new staff employed in the last three years, Mr Beaton said.

Ambulance and paramedics are currently on strike although they are working at their stations, they are not allowing the crews to split and cover for staff shortages in other stations 30 minutes away from their original station.

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Paramedic demands for 24-hour staffing

The strike is expected to end on Wednesday, and on Thursday, they are expected to meet with NSW Health on their demands for 24-hour staffing for patient services and five percent wage increase against the public service wage increase offer of 2.5 percent.

Mr Beaton was among the health staff who gave evidence to the NSW parliament inquiry on the state of regional health services in NSW.

The inquiry has found chronic doctors and staff shortages and under-resourcing in frontline services, including health services for the Indigenous communities in remote towns, were among the 22 key findings now in the hands of the NSW government.

NSW regional health inquiry response

NSW regional health minister Bronnie Taylor earlier responded to the damning inquiry findings with four priority areas - strengthening the rural and regional health workforce, more access to services to include patient transport and accommodation support, working with federal health to recruit more doctors for regional areas and more frequent community engagement on delivery of services.

Ms Taylor earlier assured they are "implementing bold new measures to attract key health workers to work in regional health facilities and retaining the workforce will be a key focus of mine."

Mr Beaton said they have been meeting regularly with NSW Health discussing their ongoing demands that has "not been actioned" and they are demanding that premier Dominic Perrottet take notice of their demands.

"They've done nothing...the only commitment we got from the premier is that they're going to look at the recommendations in the public sector wages which is a generalised statement in relation to our wages..inflation is at five percent and they are offering below the inflation rate so that is not acceptable."