Ambulance Victoria Hume regional director Steve Doyle said paramedics across the state reached Code 1 patients faster on average than a year ago, despite a five per cent increase in demand.
“The entire health system continues to be extremely busy due to seasonal illness, such as flu, COVID-19 and RSV circulating within our communities and our workforce,” Mr Doyle said.
“Our dedicated paramedics and first responders in Hume do an incredible job in the face of record-breaking demand, providing best care to our communities every day.”
Mr Doyle urged people to consider alternative options if their matters weren’t emergencies to keep highly-skilled paramedics available for patients most in need.
April to June was AV’s busiest quarter ever, with more than 102,000 Code 1 cases across Victoria — breaking the previous record of 100,238 Code 1 cases set in the October to December 2022 quarter.
From April to June this year, Victorian paramedics responded to 64.2 per cent of Code 1 cases within the statewide target of 15 minutes. The statewide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 15 minutes and 37 seconds.
Performance against the 15-minute target for Code 1 cases improved in 55 of Victoria’s 79 Local Government Areas (LGAs) compared with a year ago.
In the Hume Region, the biggest improvements were in the Indigo, Murrindindi, Strathbogie and Wodonga LGAs and the major population centre of Kilmore.
In the Greater Shepparton LGA, paramedics attended 1,455 Code 1 cases between April and June, a 6.7 per cent increase in caseload from a year ago.
AV Regional Operations executive director Danielle North said AV constantly monitored demand and ambulance availability in real time and worked with hospitals to help transfer patients as promptly as possible, to ensure ambulances could get back on the road sooner.
“We also review and adjust the ambulance call-taking and dispatch grid, based on research, clinical expertise and our large body of clinical data, to ensure it remains suitable for the Victorian environment,” Ms North said.
“We continue to work with our partners at Triple Zero Victoria to support the call taking and dispatch process, noting that about one in five calls to 000 do not need an emergency ambulance response.”
People can access alternative care when not in need of an ambulance, including connecting with the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) at www.vved.org.au anywhere, anytime, even from home.
“Other options include your local Priority Primary Care Centre (PPCC), GP or pharmacist, or Nurse-On-Call on 1300 60 60 24,” Ms North said.
From April to June, 41,704 people who did not need an emergency ambulance were connected to alternate care by paramedics and nurses in AV’s secondary triage team.
More than 30,000 patients were referred to VVED by paramedics in 2023-24, while 9,574 were referred there following assessment in secondary triage.
For more information about routine winter vaccinations or to find your nearest PPCC, visit the Better Health website at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
View more of the latest AV response time data here.
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