Tara Murray
Nearly a third of all code one ambulance calls in Brimbank are being responded to outside the official target of 15 minutes.
New data released by Ambulance Victoria, showed the service recorded its busiest period on record in the three months to December.
The data shows ambulances were called to 91,397 code one cases, cases which require lights and sirens, between October and December, a 16.2 per cent increase on the same time in 2020.
In the quarter, 66.5 per cent of code one cases were responded to within the state-wide average response time target of 15 minutes.
In Brimbank, 67 per cent of code one cases were attended to within 15 minutes and the average response time was 15.09 minutes.
The cases attended within 15 minutes was down from 76.5 per cent in the previous quarter and down from 86.3 per cent 12 months earlier.
In Melton, only 53.2 per cent of code one cases were responded to within 15 minutes, with the average response time being 17.36 minutes.
The average code two response time in Brimbank was 45.37 minutes, up from 27.47 minutes, 12 months ago.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Professor Tony Walker said the latest performance data shows the pandemic continues to place unprecedented and sustained pressure on the entire health system.
Professor Walker said the record workload and slower response times were no surprise given the ongoing and extraordinary impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, right across the state and Australia.
“Demand is now higher than pre-pandemic levels. During the last quarter we were challenged by the peak of the Delta wave, the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant,” Professor Walker said.
“Performance has also been impacted by the time spent offloading patients at busy hospitals and sicker patients who have delayed visiting their GP or specialist now finding themselves more unwell.
“Paramedics are under increasing pressure due to fatigue and record workload, wearing PPE to all cases and furloughing due to COVID-19 exposure, reducing staff and ambulance availability.”
Professor Walker said they were asking all Victorians to save triple-zero for emergencies.
It was a call supported by Western Health earlier this year, with a pressure being put on their emergency rooms including at Sunshine Hospital.
“Every call for assistance that isn’t an emergency puts significant strain on our crews to reach those who need us the most.”
