The Andrews Labor Government has fast-tracked 12 new paramedic teams and 13 new vehicles across Victoria, as part of its record $500 million plan to improve ambulance response times and save lives.
Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy joined Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville at the Bellarine Ambulance branch today to announce new resources, which hit the road this week.
A new ambulance will be based at Bellarine, then relocated to the new Swan Bay when construction of the new branch is complete in 2018. The new team has seven extra full-time equivalent paramedics.
Geelong will also have a new 24 hour ambulance team, staffed by a team equivalent to 14 extra full-time paramedics, with two new vehicles.
Other new teams will be based at Winchelsea, Mornington, Moe, Melton, Epping, Traralgon, Broadford, Craigieburn, Warragul and Wyndham Vale. All new teams will also receive a new vehicle.
This represents an additional 127 full-time equivalent, highly-skilled paramedics now trained-up and on the road – ready to respond to life-threatening medical emergencies and save more lives.
It builds on the 12 new non-emergency patient transport services that have started this year in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton, Mt Waverley, Bairnsdale, Morwell, Wangaratta and Wonthaggi. These units are freeing up paramedics and ambulances to respond to even more emergencies, when and where they are needed most.
The Labor Government is rebuilding our ambulance system after four years of crisis and neglect under the former Liberal Government.
The $500 million plan to improve response times – the biggest ever investment in ambulance services – will employ 450 more paramedics, buy new vehicles and build new ambulance stations across the state.
After two years of investing in and reforming the ambulance system, more and more ambulances are arriving at emergencies sooner with Code 1 average response times now the quickest they have been in five years.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy
“In an emergency, every second counts. That’s why we’ve fast-tracked these new resources to get more paramedics and ambulances on the road, and save more lives.”
“We’re ensuring all Victorians can get the right emergency care, quickly, when they need it, with the biggest investment in Victoria’s history to cut ambulance response times even further.”
Quote attributable to Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville
“Families across Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula can have peace of mind that paramedics are now responding even quicker to medical emergencies.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020