SWAN Hill paramedics are responding to time-critical patients quicker, but still short of the 15-minute target.
In the Swan Hill local government area, there was a 3.4 per cent increase in Code One caseload in the December 2022 quarter from the same time in 2021.
Paramedics attended 68.5 per cent of Code One patients within 15 minutes – an improvement compared with 64.9 per cent a year earlier.
The average response time to Code One patients was 16 minutes and 30 seconds.
A Code One emergency is defined as incidents requiring urgent paramedic and hospital care, based on the information available at the time of call.
Response time measures from when a 000 call is answered and registered by the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, to when the first ambulance arrives at the incident scene.
The December quarter had 330 call outs, compared to 319 a year earlier.
For Code Two incidents, events which are acute and time sensitive but do not require a lights and sirens response, Swan Hill had a response time of 45 minutes and 12 seconds, up from 36 minutes and 30 seconds.
Ambulance Victoria Loddon Mallee regional director Trevor Weston said ambulance responses were impacted by continuing growth in demand, sicker patients and staff furloughing due to COVID-19.
“Across the state, October to December was the busiest quarter in Ambulance Victoria’s history with paramedics called to a record 100,234 Code One lights and sirens cases,” Mr Weston said.
“In the face of this record demand and the impacts of COVID-19 on our lives, our dedicated paramedics in the Loddon Mallee region have continued to do an amazing job delivering world-class care to our patients.”
Across Victoria, paramedics responded to 60.2 per cent of Code One cases within the statewide average target of 15 minutes. The statewide average response time to Code One cases was 16 minutes and 44 seconds.
During the quarter, an average of 112 staff a day were furloughed across the state due to COVID-19 as a new wave spread.
Mr Weston said paramedics were seeing a record proportion of sicker patients who needed the most serious, time-critical Code One response.
“A year ago, life-threatening Code One cases made up 42 per cent of the total 000 demand – which has now risen to 46 per cent in this quarter,” Mr Weston said.
“And on December 27, 2022, paramedics responded to 1304 Code One cases – the first time we have broken 1300 Code One cases in one day.
“That is why I encourage all Victorians to take care of themselves and keep regular check-ups with your GP or specialist before your condition worsens and you need to call for our lifesaving care.”
Ambulance Victoria executive director of clinical operations Anthony Carlyon asked the community to help save 000 for emergencies.
“From October to December, 41,440 callers to Triple Zero did not need an emergency ambulance and were instead connected by paramedics and nurses in our secondary triage team to more appropriate care,” Mr Carlyon said.
