Cade Lucas
Ambulances are responding to Code 1 cases in Wyndham faster than at any point in the past 12 months according to the latest data.
Ambulance Victoria’s performance figures for the first quarter of 2023/24, from July 1 to September 30, show that the average response time for Code 1 cases (those considered life threatening) in Wyndham dropped from to 14.28, down from 15.58 the previous quarter and 15.10 for the first quarter of 2022/23.
The percentage of Code 1 call-outs arriving within 15 minutes rose too, with 68.1 per cent arriving within the target range, a near six per cent increase on the previous quarter and two per cent better than the corresponding quarter last year.
In total there were 3381 ambulance call-outs to Wyndham over the quarter, a slight increase on the previous three months, but fewer than for the same time last year.
Ambulance Victoria’s Metropolitan Regional and Clinical Operations Director Narelle Capp said even with the reduction in cases, Wyndham was still the fourth busiest local government area in the state, making the results even more impressive.
“Despite this high demand, ambulances arrived at ‘lights and sirens’ cases in Wyndham on average one minute and 30 seconds faster than the previous quarter,” Ms Capp said.
“We are proud of our hardworking paramedics and it’s great to see performance improving in Wyndham following unprecedented pressures on the health system due to COVID-19.”
Ambulance Victoria has attributed the improvements to more people accessing alternative care services for less urgent cases, reducing the load on paramedics.
Among these alternative services is the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department,
a video telehealth service that connects patients with emergency medical services their home, aged care facility or GP clinic.
Narelle Capp said VVED had proven particular popular in Wyndham.
“It is also great to see people in Wyndham embracing the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) for non-urgent cases to avoid unnecessary trips to our emergency departments.”
Statewide, 66 per cent of ambulances responded to Code 1 cases within 15 minutes, an improvement of more than four per cent on the previous quarter and almost two per cent on June to September 2022.
The Victorian Ambulance Union were contacted for comment.
