THE boss of Victoria’s ambulance service Greg Sassella has resigned after 30 years with the service, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
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The former Albury mechanic’s announcement comes amid Ambulance Victoria’s dispute with the paramedics’ union over pay and conditions, which has been running since 2012.
Mr Sassella has also been under pressure to improve deteriorating response times to urgent calls for help across Victoria and to make the service more financially viable.
Yesterday afternoon, Ambulance Victoria board chairwoman Linda Sorrell emailed staff to “regrettably announce” Mr Sassella’s resignation.
“After dedicating over 30 years to ambulance services in Victoria, Greg has decided to devote more of his time to his family and will leave on November 28,” the email said.
Mr Sassella, a former Scots School Albury student, worked as a mechanic at Hagan’s Auto Electrical Service in Albury from 1979 to 1982.
He started his career in the ambulance service in 1983 and after a succession of various roles as an intensive care paramedic, including helicopter operations, he became chief executive for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service.
“Subsequent to overseeing the merger of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Rural Ambulance Victoria and the Alexandra and District Ambulance Services, Greg was appointed to the role of chief executive for Ambulance Victoria,” Ms Sorrell wrote.
“During his career, Greg has overseen significant progress in the development of ambulance services in Victoria including the creation of Ambulance Victoria, consolidation of communication systems and world leading improvements in the use of emergency medical data to deliver improved patient outcomes, particularly in the area of cardiac arrest, just to name a few.”
Ms Sorrell said interim arrangements for the chief executive’s position after November 29 would be announced soon.
Health Minister David Davis also thanked Mr Sassella for his leadership and dedication.
Mr Davis said his lasting legacy was the improvement of cardiac arrest survival rates.
He said Mr Sassella’s management skills helped him bring together Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Rural Ambulance Victoria and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service to form Ambulance Victoria.
