By Chelsea Szabo
Ambulance Victoria’s quarterly data shows response times to Code 1 callouts in the Yarra Ranges have increased to an average of 17 minutes and 41 seconds, an increase of 27 seconds from last quarter.
The quarterly statistics also show Code 2 callouts have increased by 1 minute and 44 seconds.
Healesville did not come close to achieving a Code 1 response time of 15 minutes for 90 per cent of callouts, part of Ambulance Victoria’s response time targets implemented between 2016 and 2017.
“October to December is commonly one of our busiest times, and last year was no exception as our crews were called to 99,799 Code 1 emergencies,” Ambulance Victoria executive director of regional operations Danielle North said.
“This was also the third quarter in a row close to or above 100,000 cases.”
While the total number of Ambulance Victoria Code 1 callouts grew by 128 calls last quarter, the number of Yarra Ranges residents calling Triple Zero for Code 1 emergencies decreased.
Surrounding areas like Knox saw a 13-second increase in their Code 1 response times, Cardinia saw a one-second increase and Maroondah’s decreased by one.
On Tuesday 11 February, Victoria’s health minister Mary-Anne Thomas announced a set of 10 standards whose aim is to “improve whole-of-hospital flow so that patients arriving via ambulance can be consistently transferred to the care of a hospital in a timely manner”.
The Standards detail efforts to focus on efficient ambulance distribution, prioritise alternate care pathways that don’t require ambulances, and strengthen processes required to clear patients at hospitals so ambulances can respond to new calls faster.
Specifically, once the care for a patient has been transferred to the hospital, it should take no more than 40 minutes for the ambulance to leave the hospital under Standard 1.
The Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care for Victorians will start their implementation this month, to be rolled out into all Victorian public hospital emergency departments.
More new paramedics are also being recruited to help cope with demand.
“Since last November, we have welcomed 84 new graduate paramedics to our ranks and a further 15 new recruits will start soon including qualified paramedics from New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and New Zealand,” metropolitan regional director Michael Georgiou said.
“We know there is more work to do. AV continues to work with hospitals to promptly transfer patients and ensure all Victorians receive the right care at the right time.”
