Fatima Halloum
Paramedics in Wyndham are among the busiest in the state, with their caseload surging by more than 30 per cent in the year to March.
Latest Ambulance Victoria data reveals Wyndham paramedics were called to 3282 code one cases between January and March, up from 2510 cases during the same period in 2021.
Ambulance Victoria said calls in Wyndham accounted for 3.52 per cent of the statewide code one demand, making the municipality the fifth busiest local government area.
Code one cases are life-threatening or time critical emergencies.
According to the data, the average response time for code one calls in Wyndham was 14 minutes and 43 seconds as of March, down from 15 minutes and 33 seconds in December, 2021.
Wyndham paramedics responded to 69.1 per cent of code one calls with the benchmark response time of 15 minutes, up from 63.5 per cent in December, 2021.
Ambulance Employees Australia Victoria (AEAV) secretary Brett Adie said the increase in call-outs had left ambulance crews fatigued and burnt out.
“Many ambulance workers are finding that they need to limit their exposure to work to provide themselves with an opportunity to recharge their batteries,” Mr Adie said.
“Our members are finding it increasingly hard to keep soldiering on. Taking pressure off the system is the first priority and the creation of alternative pathways for healthcare is a critical step in that process.”
Ambulance Victoria metro regional director Michael Georgiou said the organisation recruited 700 paramedics in 2021 to help meet demand.
“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,” Mr Georgiou said.
Ambulance Victoria encouraging people to contact their GP and pharmacists for non-urgent care.
“While ambulances are always provided to patients when required, about one in five calls to triple-0 (000) do not need an emergency ambulance response,” Mr Georgiou said.
“Some people hesitate to call triple-0 because they’re not sure if their situation is an emergency. If in doubt, always call triple-0 (000) and the trained call taker will help and direct you.”
