General News
1 January, 2024
First response times improve
New Ambulance Victoria data has Horsham paramedics as the second best improved in the state in terms of response times year-on-year.
Horsham ambulances responded to 79.5 per cent of Code One cases within 15 minutes.
And in Hindmarsh, 53.2 per cent of their Code One cases were responded to within 15 minutes - the fourth-biggest improvement in the state - making the Grampians arguably the most improved region in Victoria.
Grampians regional and clinical operations director Peter Jenkins said performance improved thanks to a combination of having more paramedics on the ground and people in the community choosing to access alternative and virtual care services.
“July to September saw ambulances across Victoria called to 96,594 Code One cases - 2002 more than a year ago - making it the fourth-busiest quarter in our history,” Mr Jenkins said.
“Despite this high demand, ambulances arrived at lights-and-sirens cases on average 23 seconds faster than a year ago and 52 seconds faster than the previous quarter.
“Our dedicated paramedics do an amazing job delivering world-class care and Victoria has the best cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia."
Paramedics across Victoria responded to 66 per cent of Code One cases within the statewide target of 15 minutes.
Mr Jenkins said more paramedics were safely referring people to the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), which was supporting patients to get the most appropriate care at home and easing pressure on the whole health system.
“This avoids unnecessary trips to hospital and helps us get back on the road faster to attend more life-threating emergencies,” Mr Jenkins said.
“Since October 2021 paramedics have referred more than 47,000 patients to the VVED while a further 2500 have been referred to the VVED following assessment by our secondary triage team."