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Stephen is a career paramedic and senior executive who has worked in the ambulance and health sectors for almost four decades. He has worked in four ambulance services across the states and territories, holding a variety of senior positions in line operations, education, staff development, communications, strategy and other areas of corporate management. He holds a range of tertiary credentials and has been clinically qualified at both advanced life support and intensive care levels.
Stephen is currently the Assistant Commissioner, Capability and Development within the Queensland Ambulance Service and holds Associate Professor appointments at four Australian Universities.
What skills and experience do you bring to the Board?
I have a passion for the development of the paramedic profession and health service delivery models, innovation and change, particularly in the enhancement of the provision of health services to rural Australians. In my role as a health leader, my experience has included: policy, planning, resourcing; clinical practice redesign, clinical workforce education and training, organisational redesign, leadership and health service governance, management capability and development, organisational change and the development of professional practice standards.
I have had the privilege of representing ambulance services and the paramedic profession nationally in various roles including as the Secretary of the Council of Ambulance Authorities (CAA), Executive Board Member of the Australian National Rural Health Alliance, Chair of CAA National Ambulance Education Committee, Director of the CAA Paramedic Education Programs Accreditation Scheme (PEPAS) and several ministerial committee appointments.
Where do you think the paramedicine profession will be in three years and what do you think this means for protection of the public?
The paramedic profession has seen monumental change in practice over recent decades and now has a comprehensive set of skills and technologies to provide world class services to Australian communities. The next three years will present equally exciting changes alongside regulation of the profession and the registration of paramedics. Paramedics will work closely with their health practitioner colleagues in evolving roles to meet the increasing demand for health services, seeking innovation and new pathways in providing quality healthcare. Registration will ensure that Australian communities can be confident that expected standards are being met by those practising as paramedic health care professionals.
Note: The Ambulance Service Medal is awarded under the Australian Honours and Awards system for distinguished service as a member of an Australian ambulance service.
After graduating from Charles Sturt University with a Bachelor of Clinical Practice (Paramedic), Clare started her paramedic career as a graduate with Rural Ambulance Victoria in 2002. She spent a number of years working in rural and remote locations in country Victoria before relocating to Melbourne to practise as an Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic. In 2007 she worked as a paramedic with NSW Ambulance and has since achieved intensive care, extended care and frontline management qualifications. She has a Postgraduate Certificate in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Leadership and Management and recently attained a Master of Business Leadership. She has also been a Director on the Board of the Australian and New Zealand College of Paramedicine since 2013 and has contributed to the college's advocacy for paramedic registration under AHPRA and the National Scheme.
I have held senior leadership roles since 2012 and remain unreservedly committed to ensuring excellence in clinical care within the industry. I feel privileged to be a part of the first Paramedicine Board of Australia and look forward to helping with the introduction of national standards for paramedic registration. With plenty of work to do in the next 12 months I am very much looking forward to the momentous occasion of the beginning of paramedic regulation in late 2018.
Our profession has a proud history of moving with the times, advancing in line with evidence and being adaptable and innovative in order to deliver care to patients no matter the challenges we face. The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) will strengthen our workforce and put patient safety first.
Keith has over 25 years’ experience in the provision of ambulance services through St John Volunteers Northern Territory, Ambulance Service New South Wales and the South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS). He has performed various roles over the years, including: volunteer ambulance officer, intensive care paramedic, operations director and is currently the Executive Director of Clinical Performance and Patient Safety for SA Ambulance Service.
He was also the first paramedic to become a member of the Medical Advisory Committee (SAAS) and one of the first clinical managers to join the original Medical Directors' Committee of the Council of Ambulance Authorities.
Over the years I’ve been exposed to many different ambulance services in Australia and around the world and have experience working in a variety of settings that paramedics operate in. I have a strong understanding of governance and patient/public safety. In my role with SAAS, some of my key achievements have been: introducing re-accreditation as a quality assurance activity, leading the single Paramedic Response and Intervention units (including pushbikes and motorbikes), as well as directing state-wide emergency operations. I was also responsible for the development and implementation of the Clinical and Patient Safety directorate. This relatively new department has the role of ensuring patient safety and improving clinical outcomes.
I believe paramedicine as a profession will see current roles expand to become less traditional in the future, as well as increasing scopes of practice. This will create a stronger need for those practising in the profession to ensure they have met registration requirements, so the patients can feel safe and have confidence in the clinician treating them. More and more the adaptive clinical skills of the paramedic are being sought in a range of roles with increased autonomy under less structured supervision. It is vital that the public is protected in this space with a sound framework of registration.
Ian has over 40 years experience as a paramedic and in service development in many roles in Victoria and overseas. He has extensive senior management, board and governance experience including nine years as Chair of the Paramedics Australasia Board and serving on state and not-for-profit committees.
I am passionate about seeing evidence-driven, patient-centred outcomes, delivered through professional and skilled paramedics - this is central to everything I do.
Previously, I have been responsible for developing strategy and policy initiatives and paramedic education, including course development and accreditation requirements.
I also have senior management and leadership experience and enjoy communicating effectively and developing respectful relationships with all the stakeholders I have worked with, including government bodies, unions, hospitals and the community.
I think the profession will gain better acceptance as health professionals which will hopefully mean inclusion in national health planning. This means improved community trust / confidence in care provided by paramedics, not just ambulance services.
Paramedic skills can be deployed in broader independent community health roles, if they are the most appropriate health professional in their community to meet current demands and improve access and equity. This will improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness through paramedic employment mobility.
Angela has worked for St John Ambulance (St John) for over 13 years, starting out as a paramedic and then moving into various management roles across the organisation. Currently Angela is the Operations Manager for the Health Services Directorate at St John. Before this, she completed her B.Sc (Hons) and worked in the mining industry as a geologist and decided to change her career after becoming a volunteer ambulance officer in the outback town of Leinster, in Western Australia.
My core skills lie in problem solving, process improvement, leading teams and developing and implementing projects. After working as a paramedic and in various management roles at St John, I have a strong focus on patient care and health outcomes within Australia.
Introduction of registration will provide an opportunity for increased accountability and professionalism for the industry, benefiting the public with an improved paramedic service and better consistency of clinical care throughout Australia.
Howard has over 40 years' of experience as a paramedic and registered nurse and is firmly committed to ensuring quality care for patients. He has worked in a wide range of ambulance roles, predominately in education and clinical governance. He is currently the Education Manager for the ACT Ambulance Service.
My experience has provided me with a sound understanding of the complexities of providing safe and effective patient care in the unique and demanding out-of-hospital environment. In addition, my involvement in the accreditation of tertiary paramedic programs has given me the opportunity to gain insight into the processes for development of our future paramedics.
The paramedic profession faces the challenges of an evolving role in addressing primary health care needs while at the same time still providing quality emergency care for our patients in times of acute illness or injury. In the near future paramedics will practise in a broader setting than has been traditional.
Kate comes from a community advocacy background, working across the community sector and parliamentary settings to advance the health and wellbeing of those communities experiencing inequity. Kate has a particular interest in patient safety outcomes, and had been a health consumer representative at local, state and national levels. She has also sat on consumer reference panels and grant assessment committees in medical research, and accreditation committees in medical education. Prior to joining the Paramedicine Board Kate was a member of Ahpra’s Community Advisory Council from 2016 to 2023, and lived experience speaker at combined board meetings. In addition to Paramedicine, Kate is also now a member of the Tasmanian Medical Board. Kate has a Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communications) and Masters in Public Policy.
I bring a long-term strategic understanding of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) and its objectives. I have been involved in the the National Scheme since its inception through the initial legislative drafting process and contributed to ongoing consultations and reflections on behalf of health consumers. I continue to be actively involved in Australian health consumer advocacy networks and seek to represent community concerns regarding access to health services and patient safety outcomes.
Why do you think the work of the Board is important and what made you want to become a Board member?
I strongly appreciate the necessity of the paramedic and its often immediate role in our community, but I also value its evolving role into preventative and primary health care. I seek to contribute on behalf of patients and carers to developing a regulatory scheme that educates and supports paramedics to be their best so as to achieve safe and quality outcomes for all diversity of patients.
Linda has extensive experience in policy within state and federal government and roles within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service in Queensland and Western Australia. She holds degrees in Law, Southern Cross University, Grad Dip Legal Practice, Australian National University, Master of Law from Australian National University and is currently a PhD (Law) Candidate, Queensland University of Technology. She is also admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland, and is currently an appointed Member of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), former Conciliator at Fair Work Commission, and Principal Policy Advisory, Queensland State Government peak advisory body. Linda is also appointed as community member to the Queensland Board of the Psychology Board of Australia.
I contribute my legal knowledge and policy-related skills to help in the development of our governing framework under the National Scheme and look forward to working collaboratively with paramedics, AHPRA and my colleagues on the National Board.
The most exciting thing about paramedicine joining the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme in 2018 is that this process is a collaborative approach which allows paramedics to be formally recognised at a national level in line with the other health professions. The registration of paramedics acknowledges the important role they provide in the area of emergency care, while affording the public transparency regarding individual registrations. This will ensure all paramedics are suitably accredited and, that our industry grows competently and ethically allowing the public to have more confidence in the protection afforded under the National Scheme.
Tiina-Liisa is a chartered accountant with a background in risk and financial management, governance and ethics. She has worked in the private, public, academic and not-for-profit sectors, and was the national Professional Standards Adviser in ethics and corporate governance at CPA Australia for 14 years until 2011.
Tiina-Liisa is a member of the Professional Standards Councils and Director of St Giles Society. She is a former director of Housing Choices Australia, Aurora Energy Pty Ltd, Hobart Water and Connect Credit Union.
With more than 20 years’ experience as a non-executive director in various sectors including electricity, water, financial services, housing and disability services, I have gained a working knowledge of board practices and am able to contribute towards good governance and effective risk management.
My experience in policy development in a co-regulatory environment, especially in the area of professional standards, ethics and governance, has shown the importance of effective regulation in protecting the public and safeguarding consumers’ rights. The Board’s work is vital in this regulatory environment to not only protect the public but help influence and grow the profession.
My desire to become a Board member is linked to my professional background and community interests. I have been associated with several community groups having served as honorary treasurer for the Tasmanian Council for Aids & Related Diseases (TasCAHRD) and Designed Objects Tasmania (DOT). I am currently honorary treasurer of the Battery Point Community Association and the Theatre Council of Tasmania. This community involvement gives me exposure to a large part of a diverse community who represent the public. Also, as a board member of St Giles (Tasmania’s largest, non-government organisation catering to the needs of people living with disability) I am acutely aware of the specific needs and challenges faced by people with disabilities when accessing high-level emergency medical care. As a Board member, I hope I am able to represent this community interest.