Ambulance New Brunswick introduces multi-patient vehicles for non-urgent transfers | CBC News

Starting Thursday, Ambulance New Brunswick will use multi-patient vehicles for non-urgent transfers instead of ambulances in greater Moncton and Fredericton, followed by the Saint John area in September.

Instead of paramedics, the new vehicles will be staffed by emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, who haven’t been used in the province for 16 years.

Until now, every patient being transferred required an ambulance and two paramedics, said Health Minister Bruce Fitch.

But a pilot study showed about half of ambulance transfers were acuity Level 5, which is “not very sick at all,” he told reporters in Moncton Wednesday.

“Using EMTs to help handle non-urgent transfers and using multi-patient vehicles will help ensure other ambulances, staffed by paramedics, can respond to emergency calls,” Fitch said.

Non-urgent transfers can include, for example, transporting patients between hospitals or taking long-term care residents to medical appointments.

“This is excellent news because it’s going to be using our resources more efficiently, more effectively to again make sure people get the care where and when they need it … the most,” Fitch said.

Can take up to 4 patients, less equipment

The vehicles can accommodate up to four patients, with three seats and one wheelchair area instead of space for a stretcher.

They have less equipment than an ambulance, said Department of Health spokesperson Adam Bowie, but he did not provide any specifics.

Although there are four new vehicles in the fleet, only three are expected to be in service by September, according to Bowie. He did not explain why or say when or where the fourth would be used.

Ambulance New Brunswick did not respond to a request for more information, including the costs, or the number of non-urgent transfers per year.

21 new EMTs hired after 9 weeks of training

New Brunswick has not had any working EMTs since 2007, when paramedic training was deemed the minimum level of care required on ambulances.

EMTs require nine weeks of training compared to the 50 weeks it takes to become a paramedic.

Last fall, the province announced plans to reintroduce emergency medical technicians in “early 2023” to work on non-urgent transports, citing a shortage of paramedics.

At that time, the plan called for the EMTs to be paired with a paramedic on an ambulance.

Asked about the change in plans, the department spokesperson said EMTs will still work closely with their paramedic colleagues.

“If an EMT is assigned to an ambulance transferring a patient between facilities, they’ll be paired with a paramedic,” Bowie said in an emailed statement.

“However, if they’re asked to complete a patient transfer in one of the multi-patient transfer vehicles, two EMTs will be deployed together,” he said, noting these will be the “lowest acuity patients.”

Role is to complement, not replace paramedics

Ambulance New Brunswick has hired 21 EMTs since January, according to the province. Medavie offers an EMT training program, which includes seven weeks of classroom training followed by a two-week practicum.

Chris Farmer is among the new recruits in Moncton. He said they do between 10 and 12 local non-urgent transfers on a typical day, plus three or four longer-distance transfers.

“People got to realize that our role is really to complement the paramedics, not to replace the paramedics. We have a smaller scope of practice, number one,” he said.

“But at the same time, too, it’s to keep in mind that we do have emergency medical training, so if in, you know, the worst case scenario something does happen, we’re able to to intervene and provide medical assistance.”

Farmer added that help is “only a radio call away” and the EMTs should be close to a hospital, where they can take people, if necessary.

‘Innovative solution’

In a statement, Jean-Pierre Savoie, vice-president of Ambulance New Brunswick, said he’s excited about the multi-patient vehicles, describing them as “an innovative solution.”

“We look forward to further leveraging the talented and hardworking EMTs who have joined our organization this year and giving them additional tools to help create an even more robust transfer system to help the patients we serve every day.”

The two initiatives are part of the province’s health-care plan, which aims to increase access to primary care and surgery and to create a connected system, among other things.