Cade Lucas
Wyndham was one of the four busiest council areas for ambulance call outs for the first three months of this year, the busiest January to March quarter on record.
There were 3,304 Code 1 ambulance call outs to Wyndham during quarter three, placing it alongside Casey, Hume and Whittleseas as the busiest local government areas in metropolitan Melbourne.
January to March 2024 was the busiest quarter three on record for emergency ambulances with 150,048 Code 1 and Code 2 cases combined.
Paramedics across Victoria responded to 67.7 per cent of Code 1 cases – those requiring lights and sirens – within the statewide target of 15 minutes, up from 65.2 per cent a year ago.
Wyndham’s results were better than the state average, with 68.3 per cent of ambulances responding to Code 1 cases within 15 minutes, compared to 65.4 per cent at the same time last year.
Wyndham’s average response time for Code 1 cases also improved, coming in at 14.33, almost 30 seconds quicker than at the corresponding point in 2023.
While both results improved significantly year on year, they were higher than the previous quarter from October to December 2023, when 71.4 per cent of Code 1 cases were responded to within 15 minutes, at an average time of 14.05. These results were achieved despite there being 3.374 cases, 70 more than the first three months of this year.
Ambulance Victoria’s latest performance results were released as the state prepares for the oncoming flu season over winter.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) Metropolitan Regional Director Michael Georgiou urged Melbournians to access alternative care options and get their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to ease pressure on paramedics over the coming months.
“Winter is a particularly bad time for the spread of illness,” he said.
“The good news is getting your flu shot and staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations will help you and the people around you stay well. Book in now with your pharmacist or doctor. Along with simple things like staying home if you’re unwell and washing and sanitising your hands often, these routine winter vaccinations can protect what’s most important to all of us – our health.”
Mr Georgio reminded people that it wasn’t just respiratory viruses like flu and Covid-19 that they needed guard against as the weather gets colder.
“We also encourage all Victorians to take care of themselves, keep regular check-ups with your GP or specialist. It will also make a real difference to our busy paramedics who again face rising demand as we head into winter.”
