Paramedics reach region's most critical patients faster

Ambulances are arriving to code one cases in 15.27 minutes, more than a minute faster than the beginning of the year, according to the latest Victorian health performance data.

Code one ambulance response times hit 56 per cent within the 15-minute target in the three months to July.

The percentage decreased from 63 per cent at the start of the year, but response times improved from 16.44 minutes. 

Stawell Branch acting team manager Kim Hayes said added resources had helped boost response times in the Northern Grampians. 

“For example Ararat has an extra car in the afternoon so they've had a change of roster to give the region more coverage,” she said. 

“There has also been work done on a branch level in terms of responding in a timely manner and there has just been extra resources as well to make sure that 15 minute target or close to as possible is met.”

But Ms Hayes said it was not always simple to hit the 15 minute target in code one incidents. 

“It is good to say you've got to get to a code one job in 15 minutes, but if those jobs are 50 kilometres away you’ll never get there in that time,” she said.

“But we are certainly making inroads into reducing those times.”

Ambulances averaged a response time of 15.43 minutes in the last quarter of Victorian health performance data. 

Ms Hayes said the 16 second improvement did not sound significant, but was crucial in potentially saving a patient’s life. 

“If someone is having shortness of breath, having any chest pains or cardiac arrest that improvement obviously increases their likelihood of having a good outcome at the end,” she said. 

“The sooner we get to a job and if we find we need further resources, the quicker we can get more resources on the way, particularly if someone is having a heart attack. 

Ararat, St Arnaud and Ballarat have that capability, but Stawell does not, so if we can get those resources quicker than someone who can get treatment for a heart attack then we’ve done well. 

“These things take time, but we are making gradual progress and we are getting there.”