Soaring demands for ambulance services in the Barwon South West region has resulted in unprecedented pressure on the health system according to data from Ambulance Victoria.
Ambulance Victoria Barwon South West Regional Director Terry Marshall said data for the fourth quarter of 2021/22 shows response continues to be impacted by soaring demand, the wide spread of the Omicron variant, sicker patients who have deferred care, and staff furloughing.
“There are no signs of demand slowing down through winter. COVID-19 continues to pose a high risk to Victorians and will do some for some time,” Mr Marshall said.
Across the state, ambulances were called to 97,928 Code 1 cases from April to June this year – making this quarter the busiest in Ambulance Victoria’s history and third consecutive record-breaking quarter.
In the Drysdale-Clifton Springs major population centre, paramedics reached 74 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes, with an average response time of 14 minutes and 5 seconds.
In the Leopold major population centre, paramedics reached 82.5 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes, with an average response time of 11 minutes and 48 seconds.
The latest quarter breaks records set in the October to December quarter (91,397 Code 1 cases) and the January to March quarter (93,234 Code 1 cases).
Mr Marshall said Ambulance Victoria was working hard to relieve pressure in the system with more paramedics on the road and more Ambulance Victoria Offload (AVOL) teams to rapidly transfer patients to hospital care.
“These teams, established as part of our pandemic response efforts to improve patient flow at the ambulance and hospital interface, are now being expanded to 14 public hospitals and a further five are in planning across Victoria,” Mr Marshall said.
“They are made up of paramedics and nurses who receive handover of suitable patients after triage, allowing ambulance crews to get back on the road faster.
“Meanwhile, a record 700 paramedics were recruited in 2021 and a further 404 paramedics have already been recruited this year to help get more ambulances on the road, including 26 in the Barwon South West Region.”
