Hoping injection of paramedics in Bathurst could provide fatigue relief

Ahead of the 2023 state government election, Labor leader Chris Minns promised to deliver 500 new paramedics to regional, rural and remote communities over four years.

Now the NSW government is making good on that promise, announcing that 125 additional paramedics will be deployed in 2024.

The Bathurst electorate has been confirmed as one of the beneficiaries, with the new paramedics to be based out of the Bathurst and Lithgow ambulance stations.

Bathurst paramedic Phillip Livingstone, a Health Services Union delegate, said additional paramedics are needed to support the needs of the Bathurst community.

"We'd always want more to help with that demand," he said.

His hope is that they will be used to reduce the on-call burden on the workforce, which would help with fatigue management.

"It looks like these new staff numbers are going to help with fatigue management in the way of removing the on-call component at work," Mr Livingstone said.

Additional paramedics on the ground would increase the chances of people being called in between shifts when they are meant to be resting and recovering.

Mr Livingstone said he was glad the Labor party had kept its promise to boost the workforce in regional, rural and remote communities.

"It's one of those ones where you can see they've made a promise, X amount over four years, and that's going to roll out at 125 [paramedics] a year," he said.

NSW Ambulance will begin consulting unions and local staff about the proposed locations.

These consultations will include how many paramedics the station will receive as well as any capital works necessary to accommodate the additional staff, and discussions on the optimal roster patterns to meet demand in the area.

These additional paramedics are expected to arrive in the Bathurst electorate by the middle of 2024.