EHS hiring 100 patient transport workers to take pressure off N.S. paramedics

An EHS ambulance is seen in an undated file photo.

The organization that provides paramedic services in Nova Scotia is hiring 100 new transport operators across the province to handle routine patient transfers.

According to a provincial news release, the non-paramedic Emergency Health Services (EHS) staff will help reduce pressure on the ambulance system to allow paramedics to focus on responding to emergency calls.

“We recognize the pressure the Emergency Health Services system is under and how this impacts patients, paramedics and the delivery of emergency care,” said Michelle Thompson, minister of health and wellness.

“Reducing our reliance on ambulances to transport non-critical or non-urgent patients was a recommendation of the 2019 Fitch Report and will mean more ambulances will be available to respond to emergencies.”

There are currently 80 EHS transport operators in Nova Scotia who support EHS’s Medical Transport Service and Patient Transfer Units.

Both types of transfer services use specifically designed vehicles staffed by transport operators who have training in first aid, vehicle operations and EHS equipment and have direct radio access to the EHS Medical Communications Centre.

The province says the medical transport service is for low-risk patients who have been assessed and do not need medical care during transport between hospital facilities or their home and the hospital.

In 2021, EHS responded to 182,000 calls – an average of 500 per day. About 30 per cent of the calls did not require medical care during transport.