A parliamentary inquiry into the performance, workplace culture, and procurement practices of Ambulance Victoria is seeking submissions from the public, with both employees and patients encouraged to contribute.
The Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee will inquire into issues involved with call taking, dispatch, ambulance ramping, working conditions and workloads of paramedics, governance and accountability within Ambulance Victoria (AV).
Nationals’ Member for Lowan and Deputy Leader of The Nationals, Emma Kealy is encouraging anyone that has experience with Ambulance Victoria to provide their feedback.
“This inquiry is a fantastic opportunity for people to share their lived experience with our ambulance system,” Ms Kealy said.
“Having heard from both paramedics, patients and family members of Ambulance Victoria in our region, it has been made quite clear that there is work to be done to improve the current system.
“Some of the more frequent concerns brought to my attention include slow ambulance response times, late or delayed ambulance dispatching, ramping outside hospital emergency departments and rostering concerns.
“I’m pleased that despite Labor’s objections, the Upper House of the Victorian Parliament supported this important inquiry and there is the possibility of change on the horizon.”
The most recent Ambulance Victoria data indicates alarming shortcomings when it comes to response times for code 1 emergencies, the most serious and urgent cases.
Ambulance Victoria’s official response time targets are that 85 per cent of code 1 emergencies are responded to within 15 minutes. However, according to Ambulance Victoria’s Annual Report, only 62.8 per cent of ambulances responded within this time across the state in the 2022/23 reporting period.
Submissions close on the 28 February 2025, with public hearings to be scheduled thereafter.