General News
1 December, 2025
Local ambulance response times see improvement
AMBULANCE Victoria recently published its operational data from July to September, which revealed a record-breaking winter with demand for critical emergency care surging as seasonal illness spread throughout the state.
In the Grampians region, crews responded to 4273 Code 1 cases in the three months, which is 1.09 per cent more than a year ago (4227) and 1.88 per cent more than three months ago (4194).
The biggest improvements in the Grampians Region were in the Pyrenees, Yarriambiack, Ballarat and Horsham municipalities.
AV regional operations acting executive director, Michael Georgiou, said demand for ‘lights and sirens’ ambulances across Victoria increased by 2.8 per cent compared with the previous quarter.
“Winter consistently brings the highest emergency call volumes, and this year was no exception,” he said.
“This was our busiest first quarter on record with 101,632 Code 1 emergencies in just three months, and overall, it was our second busiest quarter ever.”
In the Yarriambiack LGA, paramedics attended 31.4 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes – up from 19.8 per cent three months ago – the biggest improvement in the state.
Compared with a year ago, Code 1 response times decreased by one minute and seven seconds in the Pyrenees LGA.
In the Horsham LGA, paramedics attended 81.9 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes.
In the Ballarat LGA, paramedics attended 76.9 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes, ranking second- and third-best in the state.
Grampians regional director Steve Doyle said the support of the community can also help save lives.
"If you need help but it’s not life-threatening, we encourage you to consider the most appropriate care for your situation," he said.
“Our paramedics are focused on reaching the sickest patients first – but every day, about one in five calls to Triple Zero (000) do not need an emergency ambulance response.
“Getting the right care fast can make all the difference and means more paramedics are on the road for people who need our urgent lifesaving care the most.
“There are many options people can access when they need timely medical care and health advice, at any time of the night or day – but not an emergency ambulance or calling Triple Zero (000), including the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, Urgent Care Clinics, Nurse-on-Call, GPs and pharmacists.”
Mr Georgiou said AV’s Triage Services team – staffed by nurses and paramedics – also plays a vital role by connecting people with the right care and freeing up ambulances for life-threatening emergencies.
“Between July and September alone, our Triage Services team redirected 49,353 non-urgent calls to Triple Zero (000) away from an emergency response,” Mr Georgiou said.
“Since its launch in October 2020, we have also referred more than 85,000 patients to the VVED for appropriate online emergency care, and more than 673,000 patients have benefited overall from this free, 24/7 service."
Mr Georgiou said it had been another challenging winter, with the entire health system extremely busy due to seasonal illness, and thanked paramedics and first responders for “the exceptional care they provide their communities”.
“Their dedication and commitment to consistently deliver best care and saving lives under pressure is remarkable,” he said.
“Despite this record demand, we continue to lead the way in pre-hospital patient care, including the best cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia and third-best anywhere in the world.”