‘Dire’ housing in rural towns leading to ambulance shortages, inquiry hears

Poor housing in rural NSW making it harder to recruit paramedics as nurses grapple with workplace culture issues

Rural NSW towns are being left without ambulances as paramedics have to transport elderly patients, while recruitment campaigns to get more health workers in the bush are stalling, an inquiry has been told.

The state government announced it would fund 500 positions for rural paramedics in its September budget, but recruitment has not begun, the NSW Australian Paramedics Association said on Monday.