2021-22 Challenges

With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic from previous years, we knew 202122 would be just as unpredictable As the year progressed, we learnt to adapt and shift to the ever-changing COVID-19 rules. 2021-22 continued to bring new obstacles when dealing with COVID-19 with vaccine rollouts, borders opening up to the rest of the world, and new variants bringing with them new waves and new restrictions.

When interstate and international borders opened, it meant travel was back on the cards, and we were glad to have several meetings in person, despite many of our groups continuing to meet virtually

The biggest challenge we faced this past financial year was the ever growing demand for Australasian ambulance services. On average demand increased by 20% across our members with some even seeing demand grow by 30% in certain times.

Calls to 000/111 have seen a large increase and ramping of ambulance crews at emergency departments, that have risen to unprecedented levels To help with calls to the public to think about when to call 000, the CAA rolled out an Australian-wide public campaign 'Save Triple Zero (000) for Emergencies'. The campaign was rolled out across television, radio, and social media to remind Australians to call triple zero only when necessary.

Our members encountered workforce challenges following prolonged COVID-19 intense periods which have impacted staff's wellbeing and health, and restrictions around exposure to COVID-19 put a huge strain on the sector.

And like many other sectors we too are facing workforce and workplace challenges arising in this post-COVID world, dealing with staff shortages, staff leaving the industry, and new work/life balance requirements, all the while trying to maintain 24/7 emergency services delivery for our communities.

While 2021-22 was no doubt a challenging year, we do see the light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 restrictions are easing, the flu season was not as bad as initially predicted, governments are investing and focusing on ambulance and health sectors like never before, and our teams keep being amazing and looking after their patients.