North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) has been recognised at the 2026 Department of Health Awards for Excellence, as part of a collaborative team approach taking home an award for ‘Ideas into Actions’ for the innovative Remote Paramedic workforce project.
Born out of a need to think differently about how healthcare is delivered in some of Queensland’s most remote communities, the model challenges the traditional view of where and how paramedics can work.
Paramedics are often associated with emergency response and providing care from the back of an ambulance. The new workforce model takes the versatile clinical skillset of an experienced paramedic and embeds it within a remote hospital and primary healthcare team.
Piloted in Camooweal a few years ago, the model demonstrated how paramedics could work alongside doctors, nurses and other health professionals to contribute not only to emergency care, but also primary healthcare, chronic disease management, health promotion and broader community care.
North West HHS team members worked collaboratively with colleagues from Health Workforce Division and Corporate Services Division to progress the pilot into a new workforce integrated into Queensland Health.
Importantly, the role is able to be directly employed by North West HHS and forms part of the hospital-based multidisciplinary team. It does not replace doctors, nurses or Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics; instead, it adds another skilled clinician to the team and makes better use of the broad capabilities paramedics can bring to remote healthcare.
Health Service Chief Executive, Andrew Quabba said the recent recognition demonstrates the innovative action taken in the Health Service to ensure those in rural and remote areas receive appropriate care.
“For small communities where workforce availability can fluctuate and access to care can be shaped by distance, traditional workforce models do not always provide all the answers,” said Mr Quabba.
“The Paramedic Remote Hospital model is an example of designing a workforce around the needs of the community, rather than simply applying a metropolitan model in a remote setting.
“The excellence award affirms the collaborative approach and transition to developing this role in more rural and remote locations.”
Following the success of the initial Camooweal pilot, the model has progressed from an innovative idea to a sustainable workforce approach, with recruitment underway for a dedicated Paramedic Remote Hospital position to be based in Camooweal.
North West HHS Executive Director Remote Health Services, Clare Newton said the award demonstrates the innovative work done to combat challenges in rural healthcare.
“Paramedics are highly skilled clinicians and introducing those skills into the multidisciplinary teams in remote hospitals and clinics is valuable where health presentations can be so broad,” said Ms Newton.
“We are honoured to be recognised for an innovation happening within our Hospital and Health Service. This award highlights how rural and remote healthcare providers are successfully adapting to unique constraints. Their hard work delivers a vital boost to these communities - in their health, their future, and their quality of life.”
The Ideas into Actions award recognises exactly that journey: identifying a challenge, trying something different, demonstrating that it can work safely and effectively, and turning innovation into a practical model of care for rural and remote Queensland.