AMBULANCE response times to urgent calls for assistance in the Alpine Shire have declined, according to the latest data from Ambulance Victoria (AV).

Alpine crews responded to 184 Code 1 patient cases (requiring urgent paramedic and hospital care) between July and September, with an average response time of 22:17 minutes, with 43.5 per cent responded to within the benchmark 15 minutes.

While the number of responses has increased since the same quarter last year when a total of 154 Code 1 cases were responded to, the average response time has increased by 63 seconds, up from 21:54 minutes with only 46.1 per cent responded to within 15 minutes.

AV Hume regional director Peter Jenkins said there is more work to do and AV continues to work with hospitals to transfer patients as quickly as possible and ensure all Victorians receive the right care at the right time.

“Our expert Secondary Triage team of nurses and paramedics also make a real difference by connecting patients with the care they need while helping free up crews for patients in time-critical emergencies,” Mr Jenkins said.

“From July to September, 41,142 people who did not need an emergency ambulance were instead connected to more appropriate care by paramedics and nurses in Secondary Triage.

“In 2023/24, paramedics referred nearly 43,000 patients to the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), with over three quarters cared for without transport to a physical ED.”

Mr Jenkins said it is also important that everyone does their part, and if your matter is not an emergency, consider using alternative care options.

“This includes the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), Urgent Care Clinics and other options such as your GP or pharmacist, or Nurse-On-Call on 1300 60 60 24,” he said.

Ambulance Victoria (AV) executive director regional operations Danielle North said across Victoria there was a 2.7 per cent drop in demand compared to the previous three months, which was the busiest quarter on record for Code 1 cases.

As a result, ambulance response times to the most time-critical patients was 16 seconds faster on average across Victoria.