Demand for emergency care spiked on Monday 23 June, with both ambulance and hospital services under the pump.
The Herald Sun reported that 25 ambulance crews were impacted by staff shortages and at least another 110 crews were stuck ramped at hospitals at 7.15pm, while 3AW Drive Host Jacqui Felgate was told Eastern Health’s Box Hill and Maroondah hospitals were bed locked and patients were lying on the floor at the Angliss Hospital.
Eastern Health reviewed footage of the Angliss Hospital waiting room and emergency department for Monday 23 June and the two days prior and were unable to identify any patients lying on the floors, with seating available in the waiting area.
“Despite our system being under a great deal of pressure, our staff are working incredibly hard to provide the very best care for our community, however we have been experiencing an increased volume of higher acuity cases through our Emergency Department,” an Eastern Health spokesperson said.
“We again thank our community for their patience and understanding as we continue to work hard to support their health care needs,”
“We encourage our community to keep Emergency Departments for emergencies only, and for non-urgent or non-life-threatening conditions, please access alternative options such as your local GP or Urgent Care Clinics, if this is suitable.”
Both Ambulance Victoria and the Victorian Ambulance Union requested, in the wake of the surge, that people ensure they save Triple Zero for emergencies and consider alternative avenues to care, such as Virtual ED and Urgent Care Clinics.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said their highly skilled paramedics and first responders do a remarkable job providing the best care to their communities every day, especially as seasonal illness puts extra pressure on the health system.
“Ambulance Victoria and hospitals will always prioritise the most urgent cases first, but it is important to know that calling 000 won’t necessarily mean faster care if your condition is not life-threatening,” they said.
“It is important that everyone does their part in saving ambulances for emergencies – if your matter is not life-threatening, consider using an alternative care pathway such as the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department or Urgent Care Clinics.”
On average, about one in five calls to Triple Zero Victoria do not require an emergency ambulance response, which equates to over 500 calls every day.
Ambulance Victoria does use a dynamic model to determine where paramedics are deployed, with specialised teams like Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) units targeted where their services are most required.
