Sixteen communities on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands switched to new models of ambulance service on April 1 that Island Health says will enhance 911 responsiveness and provide consistent and reliable out-of-hospital care.
“Since 2017, our government has supported BCEHS’s work to significantly improve paramedic staffing and strengthen and transform ambulance service throughout the province,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The April 1, 2024, conversion of 60 ambulance stations across the province to more effective service delivery models that respond to each of these 60 communities’ unique needs provides more equitable access to care for people living in rural and remote communities, and better compensation and work environments for paramedics, particularly those who already live and work in these communities and provide emergency medical care to neighbours and community members. I commend the continued collaboration by BCEHS and CUPE 873 to make things better for paramedics who provide valuable, essential healthcare service to people in B.C.”
All 16 of the communities in the Island Health region transitioned from the “scheduled on-call” (SOC) model to one of three new models that will support available, staffed ambulances, and will continue to move BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) towards a predominantly regularized workforce, a BC Emergency Health Services press release says.
Three communities including Gabriola Island, Gold River and Quadra Island were upgraded to 24/7 full-time “alpha” ambulance stations on April 1, 2024. Under this model, each station has eight full-time positions, with paramedics in the station 24 hours a day. Compared to the previous model, this means that there will be paramedics in the station on duty three times more than with the SOC model that had paramedics at the station eight hours a day, and 16 hours on call.
Twelve communities, including Alert Bay, Cortes Island, Denman Island, Galiano Island, Mayne Island, Pender Island, Port Renfrew, Port Alice, Sayward, Sointula, Tahsis, and Ucluelet upgraded to a new “mix shift” staffing model on April 1. The mix shift model has staff on duty in the station twice as often as they do with the SOC model, with 16 hours in station on duty and eight hours on call (pager) at night.
The community of Zeballos is also benefiting from a new full-time paramedic unit chief position, to provide support to on-call paramedic staffing. The on-call “kilo” model in these stations offers more flexible staffing options to maximize local recruitment. It also leverages the latest collective agreement with paramedics, which increased the on-call rate from $2 per hour to $12 per hour.
The plan to convert staffing models in 60 communities in rural and remote B.C., including 16 in the Island Health region, was outlined in a joint announcement from BCEHS, the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia (APBC/CUPE Local 873) and the Ministry of Health on November 9, 2023. Further changes in December 2023 resulted in additional positions in two communities, Rossland and Sointula.
BCEHS and APBC (CUPE Local 873) worked together closely with the 60 communities to determine the best staffing model for each and to bring forward recommendations to the Ministry of Health. This work included engagement with staff, the communities, First Nations leaders and health authorities. BCEHS will continue working closely with partners to address future needs of communities and make changes as needed.