By Olivia Condous
Paramedics have reduced ambulance response times across Victoria, including in Melton and Moorabool, despite record demand for emergency medical services.
Ambulance calls from Melton make up 3.08 per cent of the state-wide Code 1 demand, making the area the seventh busiest local government area in Victoria.
Since the end of December 2021, Ambulance services have managed to reduce response times for calls from Melton by almost one minute from 17:36 to 16:41 minutes.
Response times for calls to the Moorabool region are down by almost a minute and a half, from 20:01 to 18:38 minutes.
However, response times for both regions are still two to three minutes higher than this time last year.
For the Melton area, only 56 per cent of calls were attended by an ambulance within fifteen minutes, making it the third-worst LGA in the Melbourne area.
According to Ambulance Victoria, paramedics across Victoria were called to 93,234 code one cases between January and March this year, breaking the record set last quarter and making it the busiest period in Ambulance Victoria’s history.
According to Ambulance Victoria, a total of 45,382 callers statewide to triple-0 did not need an emergency ambulance between January and March.
Ambulance Employees Australia Victoria secretary Brett Adie said ambulance crews had been pushed beyond acceptable levels to keep the service operating.
“They are fatigued and burnt out, they were asked to sacrifice more prior to COVID and that has just increased with the impact on caseload and staff being exposed to COVID,” he said.
“Taking pressure off the system is the first priority and the creation of alternative pathways for healthcare is a critical step in that process.”
Mr Adie said areas with proximity to Melbourne, like Melton and Moorabool, are at risk of delayed response times as the requirement for outer regions is to take most patients to metro hospitals, leaving them vulnerable and making it difficult for them to get back to their region.
“It is time to rethink health and to provide the service that the community deserves,” Mr Adie said.
“This is people’s lives, not just numbers on a page.”
