Help required: The fourth quarter of 2022/23 was Ambulance Victoria’s third busiest on record.
Photo by
AAP
More than 100 new paramedics are hitting the road across Victoria, as new data shows demand for emergency ambulances is rising sharply again during winter.
Ambulance Victoria executive director clinical operations Anthony Carlyon said the fourth quarter of 2022/23 was Ambulance Victoria’s third busiest on record, with ambulance responses impacted by a 5.5 per cent increase in demand compared to the previous quarter.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
“Every winter we see demand rise, and this year is still challenging as COVID-19 and influenza spreads, and more staff are furloughed due to illness,” Mr Carlyon said.
“This winter we again urge you to help our paramedics, first responders and hospitals by saving 000 for emergencies and accessing alternative care options which can better meet your needs.”
From April to June, paramedics and first responders across Victoria responded to 61.7 per cent of life-threatening cases — code 1 cases — within the state-wide average target of 15 minutes.
The state-wide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 16 minutes and four seconds.
In the Hume region, response times have improved in the Indigo, Mitchell, Benalla, Moira and Greater Shepparton local government areas.
Improvements: Average response times to Code 1 patients by Ambulance Victoria as compared to last year.
As represented by this graph, response times have improved by 52 seconds in Indigo, 49 seconds in Mitchell, 96 seconds in Benalla, 65 seconds in Moira and 50 seconds in Greater Shepparton.
On 24 July, 54 new graduate paramedics hit the road at ambulance branches across Victoria and 64 started their careers at Ambulance Victoria with a four-week induction training program.
Of the 118 new graduates, 16 will go to branches in the Hume region.
“We welcome all our new graduate paramedics and wish them the best for long and rewarding careers at Ambulance Victoria,” Ambulance Victoria Hume regional director Narelle Capp said.
