- Published:
- Thursday 20 November 2025 at 3:55 pm
Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics faced a record-breaking winter with demand for critical emergency care surging as seasonal illness spread throughout the state.
AV Acting Executive Director Regional Operations Michael Georgiou said between July and September, demand for ‘lights and sirens’ ambulances across Victoria increased by 2.8 per cent compared with the previous quarter.
“Winter consistently brings the highest emergency call volumes, and this year was no exception. This was our busiest first quarter on record with 101,632 Code 1 emergencies in just three months, and overall, it was our second busiest quarter ever,” Mr Georgiou said.
“This was another challenging winter – the entire health system was extremely busy with seasonal illness. We are incredibly proud of our highly skilled paramedics and first responders for the exceptional care they provide their communities – all day, every day.
“We sincerely thank our people who worked tirelessly to meet record levels of demand this winter. Their dedication and commitment to consistently deliver best care and saving lives under pressure is remarkable.
“Despite this record demand, we continue to lead the way in pre-hospital patient care, including the best cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia and third best anywhere in the world.”
During the July to September quarter, AV crews responded to 64.1 per cent of Code 1 cases within the state-wide target of 15 minutes. The state-wide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 15 minutes and 46 seconds.
Mr Georgiou said the support of the community can also help save lives – if you need help but it’s not life-threatening, we encourage you to consider the most appropriate care for your situation.
“Our paramedics are focused on reaching the sickest patients first — but every day, about one in five calls to Triple Zero (000) do not need an emergency ambulance response,” Mr Georgiou said.
“Getting the right care fast can make all the difference and means more paramedics are on the road for people who need our urgent lifesaving care the most.
“There are many options people can access when they need timely medical care and health advice, at any time of the night or day – but not an emergency ambulance or calling Triple Zero (000), including the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), Urgent Care Clinics, Nurse-on-Call, GPs and pharmacists.”
Mr Georgiou said AV is working closely with hospitals, emergency services and government partners to keep patients moving through the system as quickly as possible and get ambulances back on the road sooner.
“The Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care are already making a difference transferring patients into hospital care in a consistent, safe and timely way,” Mr Georgiou said.
“As part of this work, our crews have made steady improvements to improve our hospital clearing times and return to the community faster. Every small improvement – from more efficient handovers to quicker clearing times – adds up to better care for all Victorians.”
Mr Georgiou said AV’s Triage Services team — staffed by nurses and paramedics — also plays a vital role by connecting people with the right care and freeing up ambulances for life-threatening emergencies.
“Between July and September alone, our Triage Services team redirected 49,353 non-urgent calls to Triple Zero (000) away from an emergency response,” Mr Georgiou said.
“Since its launch in October 2020, we have also referred more than 85,000 patients to the VVED for appropriate online emergency care, and more than 673,000 patients have benefited overall from this free, 24/7 service.
“Services like the VVED are excellent for patients with non-life-threatening medical conditions, providing access to emergency care in the comfort of their own homes and helping to keep paramedics and first responders available for the sickest Victorians.
“Since June, 200 new graduate paramedics have joined the frontline across Victoria. And this year, 44 Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) intern paramedics hit the road — delivering a major boost to critical care statewide.”
In a life-threatening emergency always call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Updated