Victorian paramedics clearing hospital faster to save lives

Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics and first responders are getting to patients needing lifesaving care faster as hospital clearing times across the state continue to improve.

AV Executive Director Regional Operations Michael Georgiou said between January and March 2026, the average response time to the most critical Code 1 cases was 12 seconds faster than the previous three months.

“The quicker response times are thanks to the incredible efforts of our hard-working crews who are clearing hospital more than five minutes faster than a year ago,” Mr Georgiou said.

“When we leave hospital faster, we can get back out into the community faster – and that means better outcomes for patients facing critical life-threatening emergencies.”

Hospital clearing times are the duration between an ambulance crew completing their patient handover and being available to attend another case.

The statewide average clearing time has dropped from 31.8 minutes between January and March 2025 to 26.4 minutes between January and March 2026.

The latest performance data shows improvement with emergency ambulance crews responding to 66.4 per cent of Code 1 cases within the state-wide target of 15 minutes between January and March this year, up from 65.1 per cent in the previous quarter.

The statewide average response time to Code 1 cases also improved compared with the previous quarter, down to 15 minutes and 28 seconds. AV responded to 94,634 Code 1 ‘lights and sirens’ emergencies during the quarter.

Introduced last year, the Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care are improving hospital handover times across the state.

“We are working closely with hospitals, emergency services and government partners to apply the Standards and keep patients moving through the system as quickly as possible,” 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.

“From January to March, 49,508 people who did not need an emergency ambulance were instead connected to more appropriate care by our expert Triage Services team.

“And our Medium Acuity Transport Service (MATS) crews are also freeing up more ambulances to respond to the most critically ill patients. These crews have attended more than 127,000 cases since hitting the road in September 2021.

“At AV, we continue to lead the way in patient satisfaction and emergency care, including the best cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia and second best anywhere in the world.”

Mr Georgiou reminded Victorians to access urgent care services appropriate to their medical needs that free up paramedics and first responders for the most critical, life-threatening emergencies.

“Getting the right care at the right time can make a big difference. If you need urgent healthcare but it’s not life-threatening, we encourage you to consider Victoria’s range of urgent care services,” Mr Georgiou said.

“There are many free and fast options people can access when you need timely medical care and health advice, at any time of the night or day, including the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), Nurse-on-Call or Urgent Care Clinics.

“We also urge Victorians to protect themselves, their families and children against the flu ahead of another busy winter for paramedics and first responders.”

In a life-threatening emergency always call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

The AV Quarter Three 2025/26 performance data, including LGA data, is available on the Our Performance page of the Ambulance Victoria website.

Table: Average Hospital Clearing Time Data (minutes)