Paramedics accuse NSW Ambulance service of neglecting a workforce crippled by mental distress

By Harriet Alexander
Updated November 19 2015 - 10:08am, first published November 8 2015 - 12:00am
Steve McDowell retired from the ambulance service with PTSD following a harrowing career. Photo: Dallas Kilponen
Steve McDowell retired from the ambulance service with PTSD following a harrowing career. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

A macho culture within the NSW ambulance service has fostered a workforce crippled by mental distress, where substance abuse is common, and psychological support for one paramedic was advice to "drink a bottle of bourbon, watch some porn and you'll be right".

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