Ambulance Victoria thanks Victorians as response times improve

AMBULANCE Victoria (AV) has thanked people across the state for saving ambulances for the state’s sickest people, with new data showing paramedics are responding 10 seconds faster to the most critically ill.

AV acting executive director of regional operations Michael Georgiou said demand for “lights and sirens” ambulances fell by 3.5 per cent between April and June, compared with the same time last year, coinciding with an AV community information campaign to save paramedics for emergencies.

“April to June last year was AV’s busiest three months on record – with 102,419 Code 1 emergencies.

“Across the same period this year, we’ve responded to 98,874 Code 1 cases.

“I thank our highly skilled paramedics and first responders who do a remarkable job providing best care to their communities, each and every day.

“We’re grateful to Victorians who are choosing to use alternative care for non-urgent issues — it means ambulances are available faster for emergencies. That community effort is helping us save lives.”

He said that from April to June 2025, the state-wide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 15 minutes and 27 seconds – down from 15 minutes and 37 seconds a year ago.

“There has also been an improvement in the percentage of Code 1 cases responded to within 15 minutes.”

During this quarter, AV crews across Victoria responded to 65.3 per cent of Code 1 cases within the state-wide target of 15 minutes, up from 64.2 per cent a year ago.

In the Barwon South West region, crews responded to 7,323 Code 1 cases between April and June 2025, down from 7,559 last year, but up from 7,185 three months ago.

Compared with the same time last year, performance improved in 53 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Lara was one of the biggest improvers in the Barwon South West Region, with paramedics attending 70.9 per cent of Code 1 patients within 15 minutes – up from 64.7 per cent a year ago – the biggest improvement in the state. As a result, Code 1 response times decreased by 56 seconds.

The Greater Geelong LGA was the busiest in the state, with paramedics attending 4,991 Code 1 cases between April and June – or 5.05 per cent of the total Code 1 workload.

AV is urging people not to be complacent, with demand for emergency ambulances climbing again as winter illnesses spread through the community.

“We’ve already seen a 3.7 per cent jump in Code 1 demand since the first three months of 2025,” AV Barwon South West regional director Stuart Reid said.

“Winter is always our busiest time. Our paramedics are focused on reaching the sickest patients first — but every day, more than 500 calls to Triple Zero (000) don’t need an emergency ambulance.

“There are many options people can access when they need timely medical care and health advice but don’t need an emergency ambulance, including the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department and Urgent Care Clinics.”