Ottawa Paramedic Service Communications Centre receives international accreditation
On June 4, the Ottawa Paramedic Service Communications Centre was recognized for attaining the Accredited Centre of Excellence (ACE) designation.
The International Academies of Emergency Dispatch sets the global standard in emergency call taking, awarding the ACE designation to emergency communications centres that achieve the highest level of triage and dispatching, quality assurance and clinical care. Our emergency medical dispatchers are required to continuously exceed 97 per cent compliance with call taking protocols.
This designation demonstrates that Ottawa’s medical dispatching service has proven consistent, measurable excellence in training, protocol compliance, and quality assurance. It recognizes emergency medical dispatchers as experts, supporting their growth and decision-making.
The introduction of the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS), an internationally recognized medical call triage tool, was a foundational requirement in pursuing the ACE designation. With MPDS, emergency medical dispatchers can utilize additional decision-making tools, like clinical triage, which improves the assignment of paramedic resources to the highest priority calls and offers an improved level of patient care.
The priority dispatching capabilities of MPDS combined with collaborative mitigation efforts between local hospitals and the Ottawa Paramedic Service have contributed to fewer instances of Level Zero in Ottawa, resulting in a sustained, four-year reduction of nearly 99 per cent.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service was also recognized for:
Creating and filling 141 new positions across all branches of the Service during the term of Council.
Enhancing service to rural areas with three Paramedic Response Units dedicated to Kinburn, Richmond and Metcalfe.
Creating a Health and Wellbeing Unit with three permanent employees providing psychological support to staff.
Working towards a new paramedic deployment facility, which will provide more space for staff, vehicles and equipment and improve response times in the west and south of Ottawa.