General News
13 May, 2025
Ambulance response times continue to improve for Loddon Mallee district
The Central Goldfields Shire’s ambulance response times are improving, some of the best in years, despite remaining below state-wide levels.
Central Goldfields ambulances are reaching locals within the state target more often, their highest in almost five years, despite remaining notably behind the rest of the state.
According to AV’s 2024/25 Quarter 3 report, between January 1 and March 31 this year, paramedics attended 58.8 percent of Code 1 patients within the state-wide target of 15 minutes, up from 51.3 percent three months ago, and the highest for the shire since AV’s 2020/21 Quarter 2 report.
The quarter also marks the best average response time for local crews, 17 minutes and 49 seconds, since the 2023/24 Quarter 1 report.
Compared to the average response time last quarter, it’s a decrease of three minutes and four seconds for the shire.
Despite the highest percentage of Code 1 responses within the state target in almost half a decade, and the best average response time in almost two years, the shire continues to trail the state average in both categories.
Across Victoria, AV crews responded to 65.6 percent of Code 1 cases within 15 minutes, up from 64.9 percent the previous quarter.
The state-wide average response time was 15 minutes and 25 seconds, an improvement from 15 minutes and 42 seconds three months ago.
Ambulance Victoria’s two official response time targets are:
Respond to Code 1 incidents within 15 minutes for 85 percent of incidents statewide, and
Respond to Code 1 incidents within 15 minutes for 90 percent of incidents in centres with populations greater than 7500.
Loddon Mallee regional director Matt McCrohan said AV will keep trying to improve.
“We know there is more work to do. We continue to work with our partners to ensure our paramedics and first responders are dispatched to the right patient at the right time,” he said.
“We welcome the new Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care for Victorians which seek to improve system-wide patient flow so that patients can be transferred into a hospital in a timely way, and paramedics are back on the road and responding to the community.”
Despite falling short of state-wide targets Mount Alexander and Central Goldfields shires saw the biggest improvement compared to last quarter, according to Ambulance Victoria.
They are among 45 shires which saw improvement compared to the previous three months.