Code one calls for ambulances in the City of Greater Shepparton increased by 16 per cent to start the year but response times were slower, as more paramedics join local branches.
Ambulance Victoria Hume acting regional director Narelle Capp said the latest performance data from the third quarter of 2021/22 – between January and March this year – showed it was the busiest in Ambulance Victoria’s history.
In the City of Greater Shepparton, paramedics attended 70.6 per cent of code one patients in the within 15 minutes – compared with 80.4 per cent at the same time last year.
The average response time to code one patients was 14 minutes and 54 seconds.
Response times were quicker in the major population centre of Shepparton-Mooroopna, with ambulances reaching 79.3 per cent of code one patients within 15 minutes – on average 13 minutes and 33 seconds.
Ms Capp said to help respond to the increase in demand, Ambulance Victoria recruited 700 new paramedics.
Of 57 new graduate paramedics that started on May 2, 10 joined branches in the Hume Region, including Mooroopna, Shepparton, Seymour, Benalla, Alexandra, Wallan, Wangaratta and Wodonga.
“This recruitment drive continues, with 174 paramedics already on board so far this year to help get more ambulances on the road and to patients quicker,” Ms Capp said.
Ambulance Victoria acting chief executive Libby Murphy said ambulance responses in the last quarter were impacted by the Omicron variant, which affected staff availability and increased demand as restrictions were lifted.
“Paramedics are not immune to COVID-19, with a peak of more than 500 paramedics sick, symptomatic or isolating in January,” she said.
“We still have about 150 staff in isolation most days.”
Ms Capp asked the community to use 000 only for emergencies, with one in five calls not requiring an emergency ambulance response.