Monday, 1 August, 2016
Ambulance service improves in Ararat – latest figures
The communities of Ararat Shire are receiving better emergency response from their ambulance service since the election of the Andrews Labor Government.
Latest response time figures from Ambulance Victoria, released today by Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy, show significant improvement over the last two years.
The average time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a Code 1 accident or emergency in Ararat has improved from 17:19 minutes in 2013/14 – the last full year of the previous Liberal Government – to 17:11 in the 12 months to the end of June this year.
Over the same period, the proportion of ambulances which arrived within the benchmark 15 minutes for the most time-critical patients – including cardiac arrest, heart attack, major trauma and stroke patients – improved from 56.1 per cent to 59.1 per cent.
The improved emergency performance reflects the Andrews Labor Government’s determination to fix the crisis in the ambulance service, left by the Liberals.
The Andrews Labor Government invested an additional $144 million in this year’s State Budget to fix the ambulance system after four years of crisis so Victorians can have confidence that in an emergency they will get the care they need, quickly.
In their last year in office, the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services awarded the former Victorian Liberal Government the disgraceful title of having the worst ambulance response times on the Australian mainland.
Ararat’s latest ambulance response data shows:
· 59.1% of Code 1 ambulances arrived within 15 minutes in 2015/16, up from 56.1% in
2013/14.
· The average response time to reach the scene was 17:11 minutes in 2015/16, an improvement on the 17:19 minute arrival time in 2013/14.
This year’s Budget funding includes the $60 million Response Time Rescue Fund to provide better, faster responses and make sure our ambulances are responding to the right patient, at the right time, with the right care.
The Budget also contained a $27.3 million boost to rebuild and upgrade ambulance stations and purchase additional vehicles – giving local paramedics the modern and safer facilities they deserve, as well as the room they need to grow to meet the needs of their communities.
In a move to give the community confidence in their ambulance service the Government moved quickly to ensure the regular public release of previously-secret data about ambulance response times.
The Government is also funding other initiatives to ensure that frontline emergency ambulance services are available to respond most quickly to the most seriously injured and ill patients.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy
“The Victorian community should have every confidence that the Andrews Labor Government’s commitment to a better ambulance service is providing them with a safer and more efficient emergency response.”
“The community of Ararat Shire is safer as a result of our ambulance improvements.”
“Our investment in ambulance services means that our most seriously injured and ill patients are receiving the care they need, quickly.”
Media Contact: Georgia Brumby 0428 698 185 |