Torquay to get more paramedics

TORQUAY will be among the towns to get extra paramedics from next month as part of a $14.8 million State Budget allocation to Ambulance Victoria.

Funded in the 2020/21 Budget, the Peak Period Units initiative has been brought forward from 2022/23, and will see two extra Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedics working seven days per week in Torquay from March, with their rosters determined based on demand.

“These extra resources are part of the Andrews Government’s commitment to healthcare and will help Ambulance Victoria continue to ensure that rural and regional Victorians get the best care, every time,” South Barwon Labor MP Darren Cheeseman said.

“The healthcare system plays a vital role in our community and I am passionate about ensuring that we all have access to the highest standard of care.

“This includes making sure that our wonderful and dedicated paramedics can continue to meet demand as more and more people decide to call Torquay home.”

The Bellarine Peninsula will also receive two Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedics in the initiative.

Ambulance Victoria chief executive officer, Associate Professor Tony Walker, said last week’s announcement by the state government was a win-win, both for the organisation and the community.

“The last three months of 2020 saw significant demand on the healthcare system as Victorians emerged from almost eight months of restrictions and we were not exception to this,”
Prof. Walker said.

“While last year presented many challenges as we responded to the bushfires and COVID-19, 2021 will be just as busy on our service as we strive to meet the health needs of Victorians.

“We have targeted where these extra resources are deployed across our system, informed by our own data and other agencies – for instance, Eaglehawk in Bendigo continues to grow in population.

“I’m also pleased that as part of this announcement, we will be returning staff who were assisting DHHS with contact tracing and other important work to their frontline delivering patient care.”

Victoria Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said he was very pleased with the new investment.

“We are pleased with today’s announcement and thank the government for working with us and Ambulance Victoria to deliver these initiatives.

“It’s a smart and targeted package, which delivers new resources such as Peak Period Units in busy locations and adding triage service staff to make an impact in reducing work for crews on road.”