Queensland Ambulance wants its first-ever CIO

Queensland’s Ambulance Service has begun the search for a chief information officer to lead its digital transformation ambitions.

The agency has created the position of ICT executive director to lead the implementation of its new digital strategy, dubbed ‘Towards 2027’, over the next five years.

QAS’ deputy commissioner, service planning and performance Dee Taylor-Dutton told iTnews the role was “pivotal” for ensuring results with the agency’s digital transformation.

She said this would see QAS “connect healthcare, deliver healthcare, pursue innovation supporting a mobile workforce, facilitating better decisions driven by better information, and to ensure value for money.” 

“The evolving digital landscape will play a critical role for QAS in providing opportunities to connect people, information and organisations to facilitate better outcomes for the Queensland community and to enhance and extend QAS’ operational service capacity and capability,” she added.

The first-ever CIO will be responsible for providing the agency with strategic leadership and direction around “innovative and high quality IT solutions” and manage partnerships, including with Queensland Health.

One of the first major initiatives the incoming CIO will be likely to oversee is the deployment of new mobile data terminals in QAS' fleet of more than 1300 ambulances.

The terminals will end a reliance on SMS and radio as the primary means for receiving call out information outside of South East Queensland, and are considered paramount to improve how paramedics respond to over one million requests for assistance each year.

Another potential program that could see expansion this year is a new digital system that was launched on a trial basis by QAS, SafeMate and Medibank last week.

The system gives paramedics access to medical and personal information on their iPad that has been entered online by a patient. However medical information only appears when paramedics tap a patients SafeMate card or devices.

QAS is offering the successful applicant a package of up to $198,426 annually.