NSW Ambulance Advisory Council

What NSW Ambulance Advisory Council does

NSW Ambulance is the statutory ambulance service for New South Wales, Australia, established under section 67C of the Health Services Act 1997 and operating as an integral part of the NSW Health system. Founded in 1895 as the Civil Ambulance and Transport Brigade and serving more than 130 years, the organisation today responds to approximately 1.2 million calls annually for a population of 7.25 million across an area of more than 80,000 square kilometres. It is the sole legal recipient of Triple Zero (000) ambulance calls in the state and provides universal emergency response regardless of the caller's ability to pay. The headcount exceeds 4,600 across more than 255 locations, including 3,700+ paramedics at 250+ stations and 350+ clinical volunteers in approximately 60 locations.

Operationally the service is built around five control centres (Sydney/Eveleigh, Charlestown/Newcastle, Warilla/Wollongong, Dubbo and the Aeromedical Control Centre) running Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), with GPS-tracked resources dispatched to mobile data terminals in vehicles. The fleet comprises approximately 1,500 vehicles (970 frontline ambulances plus hazardous-area, bariatric, multi-purpose and single-officer response units with an average age of 20 months and a refresh cadence of ~350 vehicles/year), nine Leonardo AW139 helicopters across seven aeromedical bases, Beechcraft King Air fixed-wing aircraft, and two Pilatus PC-24 jets added in 2024. The 2021-launched Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) layers 24/7 telephone and video clinical assessment over dispatch to divert non-emergency callers to appropriate care pathways, and the 2023 GoodSAM app activates volunteer community responders to cardiac arrests while mapping AED locations. Special Operations, counter-terrorism/emergency-management response, event medical coverage, and a Hazardous Area Rescue capability (with inflatable rescue boats added in 2024) round out the service envelope.

Revenue is dominated by NSW Government appropriations flowing via the NSW Ministry of Health through service-level agreements; patient fees are set against a 49% NSW-resident subsidy (A$464 callout + A$4.18/km from 1 July 2025) with exemptions for pensioners and concession-card holders, while non-residents pay full cost (A$909 + A$8.20/km). Tax-deductible public donations represent a minor supplementary stream. Capital investment is policy-driven and rolling: the $1.76 billion SWIFT program (2022) for 2,500 additional staff and 30 new stations, the $202M SAMIS for 12 Sydney metropolitan stations, the $180M Statewide Workforce Enhancement Program (750 additional staff), and the 2024 relocation of State Headquarters to the Sydney Operations Centre at Sydney Olympic Park. Beyond emergency response, NSW Ambulance runs vocational training as an accredited RTO (Code 7114), the world-first PRECARE clinical trial, community education (Triple Zero Kids Challenge, bstreetsmart reaching ~25,000 Year 10-12 students annually), chaplaincy and family-support services, and integration partnerships with Healthdirect Australia, National Home Doctor Service, CareFlight and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Name

NSW Ambulance Advisory Council

Legal name

NSW Ambulance

Website

https://ambulance.nsw.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NSW Ambulance is the statutory emergency ambulance service for New South Wales, Australia, providing Triple Zero (000) response, aeromedical retrieval and virtual clinical care to 7.25 million residents via 4,600+ staff, 1,500 vehicles and 250+ stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

911/Public EMS Agencies (Municipal/County/Fire-Based) (HLAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Medical Transport (Helicopter/Fixed-Wing) (HLAFANAD), Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Operations & Dispatch (HLAJAGAC), Ambulance Fleet, Equipment & Logistics Services (HLAFANAN)

Keywords

• Emergency medical services
• Aeromedical operations
• Paramedic services
• Patient transport
• Ambulance dispatch

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Emergency Ambulance Services: Government-funded emergency medical services provided to NSW residents. Fees are charged to patients who receive services, calculated based on call-out charges plus per-kilometre rates. NSW residents receive 49% government subsidy.
2. Patient Transport Fees: Fees for emergency and non-emergency patient transport services, including road, fixed wing and helicopter transport. Non-NSW residents pay full cost.
3. Donations and Sponsorship: Voluntary donations from the public to support equipment, resources, community initiatives, events and education. Tax deductible for donations over $2.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NSW Ambulance is a government statutory health corporation that provides out-of-hospital emergency medical care, patient transport, aeromedical retrieval, and virtual clinical assessment services across New South Wales. Core offerings include Triple Zero (000) emergency ambulance dispatch, paramedic clinical operations from over 250 stations, helicopter and fixed-wing air ambulance services, and a Virtual Clinical Care Centre that triages non-emergency calls to appropriate care pathways.

Product overview

NSW Ambulance is a government emergency and mobile health service operating as an integral part of the NSW Health system. The organisation provides a unified suite of out-of-hospital health services centred on Triple Zero (000) emergency response, supplemented by the Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) for non-emergency triage, Aeromedical Operations for air ambulance and retrieval services, and Clinical Operations delivering paramedic services across 250+ stations. Supporting infrastructure includes five Control Centres using Computer Aided Dispatch, the GoodSAM app for community CPR response and AED locating, and specialised services such as Special Operations, Authorised Care Plans, and Event Medical Services. Additional services encompass clinical volunteer programs, chaplaincy, family support, career pathways (Graduate Paramedic Intern and Qualified Paramedic), vocational education and training (RTO 7114), and community education programs. The fleet comprises approximately 1,500 vehicles including road ambulances (Mercedes Benz Sprinter, Toyota Landcruiser), helicopters (Leonardo AW139), and fixed-wing aircraft (Beechcraft King Air), with two new Pilatus PC-24 jets added in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GoodSAM: A smartphone app that alerts registered volunteers to respond to cardiac arrest emergencies before paramedics arrive.
• Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC)

Products and services

• Triple Zero (000) Emergency Response Emergency ambulance dispatch service responding to Triple Zero (000) calls, providing out-of-hospital emergency medical care, transport, rescue and retrieval services across NSW. Available to all NSW residents and visitors.
• Aeromedical Operations Specialist multidisciplinary team providing coordination, response, treatment and transport via helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for pre-hospital incidents, medical retrievals, long-distance transports, search and rescues and major incidents. Includes nine Leonardo AW139 helicopters across seven bases and Beechcraft King Air fixed-wing aircraft.
• Virtual Clinical Care Centre (VCCC) Multidisciplinary clinical assessment centre staffed by paramedics, registered nurses and Emergency Doctors providing 24/7 telephone or video conferencing for non-emergency Triple Zero (000) callers, directing them to appropriate care pathways.
• Clinical Operations (Paramedics) Deployment of over 3,700 paramedics across more than 250 stations providing out-of-hospital care, medical retrieval and health-related transport. Includes intensive care paramedics, extended care paramedics, special operations, counter disaster, and rescue teams.
• Special Operations Special Operations Team and Counter Terrorism and Emergency Management Unit responding to hazardous environments, major incidents and disasters. Includes hazardous area rescue ambulances and inflatable rescue boats.
• Authorised Care Plans Care plans (General Care Plans and Palliative Care Plans for adults and paediatric patients) that guide paramedics in supporting patients with chronic, complex and end-of-life care needs, allowing patients to remain at home.
• Patient Transport Service Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) service operated by NSW Health for patients assessed as medically unsuitable for community transport but who do not need emergency ambulance services.
• GoodSAM App Smartphone app that alerts registered volunteers trained in CPR to respond to nearby cardiac arrest emergencies before paramedics arrive, featuring an AED locator map.
• Event Medical Services Provision of ambulance personnel and medical support for major events, sporting events, conferences, film releases and large public gatherings where organisers have a duty of care to provide emergency medical coverage.
• Vocational Education and Training Enterprise Registered Training Organisation (RTO 7114) offering nationally recognised VET qualifications including Certificate II in Medical Service First Response, Certificate III and IV in Ambulance Communications, and Diploma of Emergency Health Care.
• Clinical Volunteer Program Clinical volunteer responder model across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote NSW where over 350 clinical volunteers provide first response clinical care in approximately 60 locations until paramedics arrive.
• Community Education Programs Safety and prevention programs for children (Triple Zero Kids Challenge, Be Prepared), primary school students, high school students (bstreetsmart road safety), adults, retirees, non-English speakers, and Auslan users.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.2 million responses per year to emergency calls
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Healthdirect AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthdirect Australia provides 24/7 free telephone health advice service. NSW Ambulance transfers non-emergency Triple Zero (000) callers to Healthdirect for further assistance when ambulance dispatch is not required.
• National Home Doctor ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for after-hours medical deputising services in Sydney metropolitan area. Low acuity patients referred by NSW Ambulance paramedics can receive home visits from National Home Doctor doctors.
• Australian Locum Medical ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter-hours medical deputising partnership for low acuity patients in Sydney metropolitan area, providing home visits when referred by NSW Ambulance paramedics.
• CareFlightmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareFlight works with NSW Ambulance to provide aeromedical services in certain NSW locations, complementing the NSW Ambulance aeromedical fleet.
• Royal Flying Doctor ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Flying Doctor Service works with NSW Ambulance to provide services in certain NSW locations, supporting regional and remote healthcare access.
• NSW Health Patient Transport ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatient Transport Service (formerly NEPT) is a NSW Health service for patients requiring transport to health facilities who do not need emergency ambulance services. Coordinated with NSW Ambulance for integrated patient care pathways.
• Westmead Hospital / Western Sydney Local Health DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the bstreetsmart road safety program reaching approximately 25,000 high school students annually.
• Health Consumers NSWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSW Ambulance participates in the Health Consumers NSW Program which represents the interests of patients, carers and families, with volunteer Consumer Representatives involved in service design and delivery.
• GoodSAM AppcoreTechnology or IntegrationNSW Ambulance partnered with GoodSAM app to alert registered volunteers to respond to cardiac arrest emergencies before paramedics arrive. Includes AED location mapping functionality.
• Toll (Aviation Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerToll and NSW Ambulance opened a new helicopter base and ACE training facility at Bankstown in 2017 for aeromedical operations.
• House Call DoctorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter-hours home doctor service partnership for patients in the Tweed Heads and Kingscliff region, accessible through NSW Ambulance paramedic referral.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ambulance Victoria: Statutory ambulance service for the state of Victoria, Australia. Comparable as a state-level public EMS agency providing Triple Zero response, paramedic services, aeromedical retrieval, and community programs across a similar Australian metropolitan/regional footprint.
• Queensland Ambulance Service: Statutory ambulance service for Queensland, Australia. Direct peer operating across an even larger geographic area with similar Triple Zero response, aeromedical operations, and statewide paramedic workforce model.
• St John Ambulance Australia: Australian charitable EMS and first-aid organisation providing event medical coverage, volunteer first responders, and training. Comparable as an Australian ambulance-aligned service delivering community first response and event medical services.

Broad incumbents

• London Ambulance Service: UK NHS statutory ambulance service covering Greater London. Comparable as a public-sector EMS monopoly serving a large metropolitan population with integrated 999 dispatch, paramedic, and specialised response functions.
• Falck A/S: Denmark-based global ambulance and emergency services operator. Comparable as a large-scale ambulance services provider (private) with integrated dispatch, road, and aeromedical operations across multiple geographies.
• American Medical Response (AMR): Largest private ambulance provider in the United States. Comparable for scale of ambulance operations, 911 response contracts, and integrated dispatch across diverse jurisdictions.

Emerging players

• CareFlight: Australian aeromedical retrieval and charity provider, already a partner of NSW Ambulance for aeromedical services. Comparable as a specialist helicopter EMS operator with overlapping mission profile in NSW locations.
• Royal Flying Doctor Service: Australian aeromedical and remote health services charity, partnering with NSW Ambulance. Comparable for fixed-wing and remote-area patient retrieval, particularly across regional and remote NSW.
• Air Methods Corporation: Largest US air medical transport operator. Comparable as a helicopter EMS specialist with comparable fleet scale and aeromedical mission profile to NSW Ambulance's helicopter operations.

Regional players

• South Australian Ambulance Service: Statutory ambulance service for South Australia. Comparable as a smaller Australian state-level public EMS agency with similar Triple Zero response, paramedic, and aeromedical model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nswambulance
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FireRescueNSW
• Facebookfacebook.com/nswambulance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nsw-government
• Instagraminstagram.com/nswambulance

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NSW Ambulance Advisory Council