By Jessica Micallef
Ambulance response times in the Macedon Ranges have improved by more than half a minute, according to the latest data.
The latest quarterly performance data, for the period April to June, reveals ambulances arrived at the scene of emergencies 34 seconds quicker on average than the same time last year.
Ambulances arrived on average in 13 minutes – an improvement on the 13 minutes and 34 seconds of the previous year.
Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas said she was delighted with the work paramedics undertook, especially during the “busy” flu season.
“The flu season has hit hard and early, but our nurses, doctors and paramedics in the Macedon Ranges have done an exceptional job rising to the challenge,” she said.
For Hume, the data for April to June reveals ambulances arrived at the scene of emergencies one second slower on average than the same time last year.
Ambulances arrived on average in 10 minutes and 38 seconds – up from the 10 minutes and 37 seconds.
In the Macedon Ranges, ambulances responded to 525 Code 1 calls – up from 448. On average, 68.6 per cent of calls were responded to in less than 15 minutes, an improvement on 65.2 per cent the previous year.
In Hume, ambulances responded to 300 more Code 1 calls in April to June – up from 2810 in the previous year.
More than 87.1 per cent of calls were responded to in less than 15 minutes in Hume, down from 87.7 per cent the same time last year.
Across the state, 75,398 Code 1 calls were responded to in the quarter – 8525 more than in the same period last year.
