Demand for ambulances in greater Geelong continues to soar, with paramedics across the state responding to a record number of code one calls in the three months to June, Ambulance Victoria data reveals.
In greater Geelong, paramedics responded to 4738 code one callouts in the three months to June, a 15.8 per cent increase from the 4090 callouts during the same period in 2021.
Paramedics responded to 69.9 per cent of code one calls – incidents requiring urgent paramedic and hospital care – within 15 minutes, down from 78.5 per cent between April and June 2021. Ambulance Victoria strives to attend code one calls in 15 minutes or less.
The average code one response time was 13 minutes and 52 seconds.
Ambulance Victoria Barwon south west regional director Terry Marshall said data for the three months to June shows response times continue to be impacted by soaring demand, the the Omicron COVID 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 one cases from April to June this year, making it the busiest quarter in Ambulance Victoria’s history and third consecutive record-breaking quarter, the organisation said.
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.”
