Two paid paramedics start in Carnarvon to boost regional capabilities under State Govt deal with St John WA

Two new paid paramedics have started in Carnarvon under a deal between the State Government and St John WA to boost ambulance response times and ease pressure on volunteers in the bush.

The St John WA Carnarvon sub-centre is now home to two paid paramedics for the first time.

This change will shift the Carnarvon sub-centre to a hybrid paramedic model, consisting of paid paramedics and volunteer ambulance officers.

The model is already in effect in other regional areas like Harvey and Esperance.

The State Government says it will deliver more consistent response times as well as support to the volunteer ambulance officers and the wider community,

The Cook Government is in the process of delivering an extra 43 full-time paid paramedics to regional sub-centres across WA under the contract with St John WA which started in 2023.

Geraldton, Jurien Bay, Broome and Albany have already received extra paramedics.

“Carnarvon is the latest community to benefit from paid paramedics,” Heath Minister Meredith Hammat said.

“These paid ambulance paramedics have now been deployed to support their community and will bolster the great work being done by local volunteers.

“This is part of our Government’s commitment to ensuring communities across Western Australia can access the healthcare they need.”

Minister for the Gascoyne Hannah Beazley welcomed the boost to ambulance response capabilities in the Carnarvon area.

“This is an example of the Cook Labor Government delivering important services in the Gascoyne to support a high quality of life for all Western Australians, no matter where they live,” she said.