West Wimmera Shire saw a sharp rise in the rate of code-one calls attended within 15 minutes, rising from one of the lowest in Victoria at 17.1 per cent during October-December to 32.1 per cent in January-March – an improvement of 15 percentage points.
In the Ararat, Northern Grampians, Hindmarsh, Yarriambiack and Buloke municipalities, the rate of code-one calls receiving responses in less than 15 minutes remained stable, with only Ararat’s figures deviating by more than one per cent.
The average code-one response time for each of the municipalities was: Horsham, 12 minutes 26 seconds; Ararat, 17:45; Northern Grampians, 18:19; Hindmarsh, 26:07; Buloke, 26:33; Yarriambiack, 27:45; and West Wimmera, 29:48.
Ambulance Victoria Grampians regional director Steve Doyle said paramedics and first responders attended 4058 code-one cases across the region between January and March.
“The quicker response times are thanks to the incredible efforts of our hard-working crews who are clearing hospital more than six minutes faster than a year ago,” he 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 a patient handover and being available to attend another case.
Mr Doyle said the average clearing time in the Grampians region dropped from 28.5 minutes between January and March last year to 22.2 minutes in the corresponding period this year.
The latest data showed improvement across Victoria, with an overall average of 66.4 per cent of code-one cases receiving a sub-15-minute response, up from 65.1 per cent in the previous quarter.
Ambulance Victoria executive director of regional operations Michael Georgiou said paramedics were working closely with hospitals to keep patients moving through the system as quickly as possible.
“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,” he said.
“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.
“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 Doyle urged people in the region to access urgent-care services appropriate to their medical needs in order to keep paramedics and first responders free 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,” he said.
In a life-threatening emergency, people should always call Triple Zero immediately.
The entire May 27, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
The entire May 27, 2026 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!
