By Jessica Micallef
Ambulance response times in the Macedon Ranges have risen by nearly half a minute according to the latest data.
The latest quarterly performance data, for January to March, reveals ambulances arrived at the scene of emergencies 31 seconds slower on average than the same time last year.
Ambulances arrived in 13 minutes and 50 seconds on average – compared to 13 minutes and 21 seconds the previous year.
Ambulances responded to 513 code one calls across the region – up from 488. On average, 64.9 per cent of calls were responded to in less than 15 minutes – down from 68.6 per cent the previous year.
For Hume, the data for January to March revealed ambulances arrived at the scene of emergencies more than a minute slower.
According to the data, ambulances arrived in 11 minutes and 27 seconds on average, compared to 10 minutes and 13 seconds the previous year.
In Hume, ambulances were called to 423 more code one calls in January to March, up from 2896 the previous year.
About 83 per cent of calls were responded to in less than 15 minutes in Hume, down from nearly 90 per cent the same time last year.
Across the state, 77,380 code one calls were recorded between January and March – up from 72,685 in the same period last year.
On average, ambulances arrived at the scene of emergencies throughout Victoria in 11 minutes and 39 seconds, compared to 11 minutes and three seconds the previous year.
