General News
21 August, 2023
Horsham paramedic times best in state
Paramedics in Horsham have led Victoria in the most recent analysis of callout responsiveness. In the April-June quarter, paramedics in Horsham responded to 87.2 per cent of code one cases within the statewide target average of 15 minutes – the...
Paramedics in Horsham have led Victoria in the most recent analysis of callout responsiveness.
In the April-June quarter, paramedics in Horsham responded to 87.2 per cent of code one cases within the statewide target average of 15 minutes – the best result of anywhere in the state.
Furthermore, the average response time across the Horsham Local Government Area of 12:33 minutes was 1:27 minutes better than in the previous quarter.
The results were announced on the heels of a boost in paramedic numbers across the Grampians region in answer to sharply rising demand for emergency ambulances during winter.
Ambulance Victoria Grampians director of regional and clinical operations Peter Jenkins said the end of the 2022–23 financial year was Ambulance Victoria’s third-busiest period on record.
Calls for ambulances rose by 5.5 per cent over the previous quarter.
“Every winter we see demand rise and this year is still challenging as Covid and influenza spread and more staff are furloughed due to illness,” Mr Jenkins said.
“April to June saw ambulances called to 97,509 code one cases statewide, which is more than 5000 additional ‘lights and sirens’ cases compared to in the previous three months.
"This is a huge 29.3 per cent increase from 75,398 code one cases five years ago before the pandemic hit.”
Victorian ambulances in general responded to 61.7 per cent of code one cases within the 15-minute target window.
The statewide average response time to code one emergencies was 16 minutes and 4 seconds.
In the Grampians, response times improved in the Horsham, Ararat and Northern Grampians LGAs, with Horsham being the standout.
Mr Jenkins said to help meet increasing demand and get more ambulances on the road and to patients faster, Ambulance Victoria had recruited 118 new graduate paramedics in the past month alone, including 10 in the Grampians.
“This builds on our record recruitment of more than 1300 paramedics over the past two years,” he said.
“We welcome all our new graduate paramedics and wish them the best for long and rewarding careers at Ambulance Victoria.”
Ambulance Victoria executive director of clinical operations Anthony Carlyon said the organisation had evolved into "a modern health service that ensures our patients get the right care, at the right time, in the right place – we are more than just lights and sirens".
“For less urgent cases 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 to help avoid unnecessary trips to our hospitals where safe and appropriate,” Mr Carlyon said.