Ambulance investment paying dividends in daylesford

The Andrews Labor Government’s record investment in ambulances and our health system is paying dividends, with ambulance response times and elective surgery waiting times an improvement compared to a year earlier.

Victorian hospitals have experienced unprecedented demand with 443,084 patients presenting at emergency departments across Victoria over the summer months the latest health performance data shows.

Ambulance Victoria data confirms people in the Shire of Hepburn can have confidence that in an emergency, they will get the care they need, quickly.

The average time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a Code 1 accident or emergency in the Hepburn Shire has improved, to 20:41 minutes in the December quarter from 21:41 minutes a year earlier.

Over the same period, the proportion of ambulances which arrived within the benchmark 15 minutes for the most time-critical patients – including cardiac arrest, heart attack, major trauma and stroke patients – improved from 29.8 per cent to 34.4 per cent.

Last November’s unprecedented thunderstorm asthma event pushed hospital emergency departments to the limit, but this latest data confirms our doctors, nurses and paramedics rose to the challenge.

Ambulance Victoria analysis indicates that its December quarter State-wide response times are slightly above the previous three months, but without the surge in callouts for the thunderstorm asthma would have remained steady.

Hospital emergency department attendances also climbed as a result of the respiratory illness surge, but on most measures were an improvement on the previous three months.

Our $500 million plan to improve response times – the biggest ever investment in ambulance services – will employ 450 more paramedics, buy new vehicles and build new ambulance stations across the state.

Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas
"We have never experienced such demand on our health system, but we are treating and caring for more patients than ever before."

"Our record investment in ambulance services means more patients in Daylesford can have every confidence they will receive the care they need sooner."