By Danielle Kutchel
Patients in the City of Casey are waiting slightly longer for ambulances to reach them, according to the latest data.
Quarterly data released by Ambulance Victoria has revealed it’s taking paramedics almost a minute longer to reach Code 1 cases, compared to the previous quarter.
While the number of first responses has also increased on last quarter, from 3600 to 3898, there has been a decrease in the percentage of responses made in less than 15 minutes, from 80.8 per cent to 76.3 per cent.
For Code 2 cases, Casey residents are being seen in an average of 32 minutes and 31 seconds, compared to 26 minutes and 34 seconds last quarter.
A Code 1 case requires urgent paramedic and hospital care and a ‘lights and sirens’ response, while a Code 2 does not and is not time critical.
The State Opposition has blasted the latest figures, with Hastings MP Neale Burgess saying the State Government is putting lives at risk amid a “growing ambulance crisis”.
“While our paramedics are doing everything, they can to provide their life saving services in the fastest time possible, the Andrews’ Government is letting them and Victorians down badly,” Mr Burgess said.
“We need proper investment and resourcing in Ambulance Victoria to ensure it’s a reliable service that these communities can rely on when it matters most.”
Gembrook MP Brad Battin agreed.
“In 2014 Daniel Andrews went to the election saying every minute matters, they save lives. Since he won in 2014 there appears to be a silence each time the ambulance figures come out and they get worse,” he said.
“The promise to fix the system was another empty promise, and we agree – every minute matters.”
But local Labor MPs said the State Government had made record investments in Ambulance Victoria, to the tune of $1 billion in funding since coming to power.
“Paramedics in the City of Casey provide some of the highest levels of care in the world and we’re grateful for the incredible work they do, particularly during the pandemic,” Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards said.
She added this year’s State Budget had allocated over $759 million in funding for ambulance services and emergency departments, including putting more ambulances on the road.
Bass MP Jordan Crugnale said a new ambulance station would soon be built in Clyde North, providing an ambulance base for the fast-growing area.
She said it would provide paramedics with “modern and safe facilities … to respond to emergencies faster and save lives.”
That station is expected to be completed by mid-2023.
Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas said the State Government had a “strong record of commitment and investment in the health of Victorians and the people of Casey”, but acknowledged there was “always more to do”.
He said the State Budget would “deliver” for the community and paramedics.
“I am so grateful to all the paramedics in the City of Casey for their hard work and high level of care, especially throughout this pandemic,” he said.
Ambulance Victoria metro regional director Michael Georgiou said the Victorian healthcare system was currently under “enormous pressure”.
“Current levels of patient demand are at their highest in 15 years,” he said.
But he added investments were being made in the Casey region, with two additional ambulances becoming operational this week and the ongoing recruitment of new graduates to Casey branches including in Clyde North, Cranbourne, Lyndhurst and Berwick.
Ambulance Victoria has an official response time target of responding to Code 1 incidents within 15 minutes for 85 per cent of incidents state-wide.
In the first three months of 2021, there were more than 36,000 callers to Triple Zero (000) who did not need an emergency ambulance and were instead connected to more appropriate care through Ambulance Victoria’s Secondary Triage Service.
Triple Zero (000) calls should be saved for emergencies only, such as people experiencing heart or breathing problems or who need urgent medical attention.
