A patient's family member was forced to drive an ambulance to the Royal Hobart Hospital, after a horror 24 hours saw a paramedic attend a call-out alone.

Key points: Five paramedics operated ambulances alone last Thursday and Friday

Five paramedics operated ambulances alone last Thursday and Friday During one call-out, a patient's family member had to drive the ambulance

During one call-out, a patient's family member had to drive the ambulance Ambulance Tasmania says it was an "exceptional circumstance"

A surge in demand, combined with staff shortages, meant five paramedics were operating ambulances alone last Thursday and Friday.

One paramedic attended a call-out on Thursday night, but was unable to leave the sick patient unattended in the back of the ambulance.

The alternative was a 90-minute wait for back-up and there was a list of emergency jobs already in the system.

A family member, who was an off-duty police officer, subsequently drove the ambulance to the hospital without lights and sirens.

Another paramedic was forced to wait at a scene with a patient who had badly broken bones for almost two hours due to no back-up being available.

An email Ambulance Tasmania management sent to staff, which the ABC has seen, described the circumstances on Thursday night as "distressing".

"It was a horrific night and had adverse impact on team members," the email said.

The email said there was a "breakdown in both procedures and communication" and it urged staff to contact management if they believed "our service is compromised or your safety or welfare is compromised" in future.

"We will review the events and identify what learnings should be made," it said.

The incidents happened just days before Premier Will Hodgman announced a Cabinet reshuffle which saw Michael Ferguson removed as health minister and replaced with Bass Lower House MP Sarah Courtney, in a move he described as renewal.

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The union representing paramedics says more ambulances are attending call-outs with just one staff member. ( ABC News: Scott Ross )

'There was no other option'

Tim Jacobson from the Health and Community Services Union said the incident involving a family member driving an ambulance was the result of massive pressures in the system.

"The workload on that particular night was very severe," he said.

"There was no other option at the time.

"Obviously having a relative driving an ambulance is not optimal, and given the heightened circumstances and the distraction for people driving an emergency vehicle in those circumstances, it's just not an acceptable arrangement."

Mr Jacobson said short cuts and breaches of protocol were occurring so crisis circumstances could be dealt with.

He said Thursday night was a "terrible night for staffing and ramping".

"On that night, not only was that paramedic operating as a single operator, but there were five others also operating as single officers," he said.

"We are seeing ambulances more often now being operated by a single officer due to staffing issues and service demand."

Paramedics operating on their own are often required to call for back-up to manage a patient, in turn tying up another crew.

Mr Jacobson said paramedics were arriving at scenes without significant resources.

"Workers' health and safety is being put at risk and the community's health and safety is being put at risk," he said.

Not safe for family member to drive ambulance, Labor says

Labor health spokeswoman Sarah Lovell said the circumstances were "frightening".

"I can't imagine that it's a particularly safe scenario for anyone in that circumstance," Ms Lovell said.

Sarah Courtney has been appointed Tasmania's new Health Minister. ( ABC News: Ellen Coutler )

"It's not a vehicle that people would be accustomed to driving, these are vehicles that are very different to driving an ordinary car or van.

"Not to mention, if you're a family member of someone that is so sick that they require an ambulance, to be driving with that level of stress and anxiety distracting you is just not safe for anyone."

Ms Lovell said it was a symptom of a system that was "underfunded and clearly has enormous capacity issues".

"Staff walk away from their shift and know they weren't able to provide the best possible patient care and that's heart-breaking for someone like a paramedic," she said.

She said Ms Courtney had a huge job ahead of her.

"There are a number of issues she needs to make a priority but this would absolutely be there," she said.

An Ambulance Tasmania spokesman said: "This was an exceptional circumstance, where a qualified emergency services employee assisted to ensure a patient experiencing a serious medical condition received the care they needed, and the matter is being appropriately reviewed."

