Victoria’s ambulance system is in crisis, with paramedics across the state reaching breaking point as they prepare to protest outside the office the Health Minister’s office this Friday.
The protests follow numerous reports of poor working conditions and a lack of leadership at Ambulance Victoria that has resulted in a vote of no confidence being put forward to ambulance union members.
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Annabelle Cleeland, met with local paramedics recently to hear how the failing ambulance system was impacting them.
“I heard that many of our dedicated paramedics were working 16-hour shifts, rosters were understaffed, culture issues prevented them from speaking out against these difficult conditions, and that patient transport had taken over from emergency response as a major part of their role,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Ramping issues at our regional hospitals have been widely publicised too, with entire fleets of ambulances stuck in hospital car parks for hours as our emergency rooms struggle to handle increased demand.
“Paramedics do an incredible job ensuring our loved ones are safe, but they have understandably reached their breaking point due to a lack of support from this government.”
The most recent Ambulance Victoria data indicates alarming shortcomings when it comes to response times for code 1 emergencies across the region (the most serious and urgent cases).
Ambulance Victoria’s official response time targets are that 85 per cent of code 1 emergencies are responded to within 15 minutes.
However, in Benalla just 63.9 per cent of ambulances responded within this time, in Mitchell Shire it was just 55.5 per cent, and in the Strathbogie Shire just 32.7 per cent of ambulances arrived within the 15-minute target.
“We need to ensure our paramedics are given the support they need to keep our community safe in times of crisis,” Ms Cleeland said.
“People’s lives are at risk, particularly in regional communities that have seen resources slashed for local ambulance services.
“Labor cannot manage our ambulance system and our paramedics and those in need of medical attention are the ones paying the price.”
