Ambulance demand spikes

By Contributed

Aug 14, 2023

Challenge: Response times have improved in Mitchell Shire, although paramedics are still feeling the strain created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

More paramedics are hitting the road across the Hume Region, as new data shows demand for emergency ambulances is rising sharply again for winter.

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In Mitchell Shire, ambulance response times have improved by 49 seconds, from an average of 18 minutes and 31 seconds this time last year to 17 minutes and 42 seconds currently.

Ambulance Victoria Hume regional director Narelle Capp said the fourth quarter of 2022/23 was Ambulance Victoria’s third busiest on record, with a 5.5 per cent increase in demand compared to the previous quarter.

“April to June saw ambulances called to 97,509 Code 1 cases state-wide, which is more than 5000 additional ‘lights and sirens’ cases compared to the previous three months,” Ms Capp said.

“Every winter we see demand rise, and this year is still challenging as COVID-19 and influenza spread, and more staff are furloughed due to illness,” Ms Capp said.

The winter spike is a 29.3 per cent increase from five years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Adding to the pressure, between April and June, an average of nearly 88 staff were unable to work each day across the state due to COVID-19.

Ms Capp said to help respond to increasing demand, Ambulance Victoria had recruited 118 new graduate paramedics over the past month, including 16 in the Hume region.

“This builds on our record recruitment of more than 1300 paramedics over the past two years,” Ms Capp said.

To help relieve the pressure on paramedics, first responders and hospitals, Ambulance Victoria executive director clinical operations Anthony Carlyon urged people to save 000 calls for emergencies.

“We’ve tripled the size of our secondary triage team and have referred more than 40,000 patients to the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department since October 2021,” Mr Carlyon said.

From April to June, 38,994 people who did not need an emergency ambulance were passed to the Secondary Triage team for the care they needed.

This meant 500 or more cases every day were matched to services that better suited their needs while avoiding emergency dispatch.

Mr Carlyon said ambulances would always be provided to patients who needed them

“Some people hesitate to call 000 because they are not sure if their situation is an emergency. If in doubt, always call 000 and the trained call-taker will help and direct you,” he said.

“Meanwhile, our Medium Acuity Transport Service crews dedicated for less-urgent calls are freeing up more ambulances to respond to the most critically ill patients.”