A leaked report has thrown the spotlight back on the troubled state of St John Ambulance NT, exposing deep cracks in the organisation’s culture and governance. Paramedics on the front line say they’re stretched to the brink — fearing they’re failing patients amid unsafe staffing levels, delayed response times, and a lack of support from senior management.

The damning review found serious risks to both patients and staff, with some practices potentially contributing to preventable deaths. It urged urgent action: suspending some procedures, hiring experienced staff, and fixing the growing divide between leadership and the crews on the ground.

Staff have described a culture of distrust, citing the sacking of the Chief Medical Officer and a collapsing internal structure. Union officials warn that some paramedics are so stressed they are suicidal — and say it’s time the NT Government stepped in.

United Workers Union NT Secretary Erina Early says the report confirms what workers have been saying for years:
“We deal with a lot of paramedics who are fatigued, who are desperate, they’re broken.”

“They feel there’s no value for them, that no one’s listening to them … there’s high assaults on them as well. We deal with four to five suicidal paramedics a month.”

She says enough is enough, calling for an end to privatisation:
“Would you allow them to privatise our NT Police Force, privatise our NT fireys, privatise our hospitals?”
“We need accountability. We need to keep our paramedics here in the Northern Territory. We need to ensure they’re properly trained.”

With assaults on paramedics rising and morale at rock bottom, the call is growing louder: bring the service back into public hands, and put the safety of staff and patients first.

Read the full article in the latest edition of Ambulance Active.