Senior Andrews government minister says Victorians have a big role to play in fixing the ambo crisis

A senior Andrews government minister has acknowledged more needs to be done to fix the ambulance crisis, but says Victorians have a big role to play.

Senior Andrews government minister Ben Carroll has acknowledged more needs to be done to fix the ambulance crisis, but says Victorians have a big role to play in doing that.

Mr Carroll, the only government representative to front the media on Wednesday, was forced to bat away questions about Ambulance Victoria calling a fifth Code Red this year.

As reported by the Herald Sun, not one single ambulance was able to respond to emergencies in Melbourne on Tuesday morning.

Ben Carroll was the only government representative to front the media on Wednesday. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Asked if the Andrews government had failed Victorians in their time of need, Mr Carroll spruiked recent investments into Ambulance Victoria.

“We put $12 billion in at the last state Budget, we’ve recruited 2000 paramedics, another 700 are in the pipeline,” he said.

“We’ve always got to do more but we’re asking Victorians to be on the journey with us.

“We are putting more paramedics on the beat but we also need Victorians to ensure they only call triple-zero for those emergencies.

“We are going through a difficult time with influenza, the winter months (and) Covid.

“It’s incumbent on all Victorians to do everything they can to have an outdoor lifestyle, be triple vaxxed, have your flu shot.”

Ambulance Victoria acting CEO Libby Murphy told 3AW “it is a challenge for us”.

“We don’t shy away from that but our management through the emergency response plan allows us to address the community need.”

Ambluance Victoria acting CEO Libby Murphy. Picture: Daniel Pockett

Ms Murphy said despite repeated public pleas, Victorians are still calling paramedics for unnecessary reasons.

The Herald Sun in May revealed some of the more ridiculous calls for help, including a panicked mother who thought their child had cyanosis, before realising their kid had just eaten blueberries.

Ms Murphy said those type of calls were still significantly hampering the service.

“We’ve had people ringing saying that they’ve had their zipper stuck, or could we please bring them a RAT (rapid antigen test),” she said.

“I don’t think that’s what ambulances are needed for. Please use the Telehealth systems that are available to you.

“We are there to meet the demands of ambulance in the community and we want to get to the right patients with the right service at the right time.”

Mr Carroll said despite the alarming scenes, Victorians should still feel confident to expect a response in their time of need. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Despite the current crisis, Mr Carroll claimed the Andrews government had a stronger record when it came to ambulance delivery.

“You can’t forget that when we did come to government, response times were the worst in the nation. We got them to the best in the nation and then we had the pandemic hit us,” he said.

“We will continue to put record funding in. We will get through this like we got through the pandemic.

“We’re also investing in preventive health measures to ensure that people live a lifestyle that is conducive to being fit and resilient.”

Mr Carroll said despite the alarming scenes, Victorians should still feel confident to expect a response in their time of need.

“If it is an emergency, we are there to support you,” he said.

“We don’t want any life lost. One life lost is one life lost too many. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to have the best healthcare system in the nation.”

Mr Carroll said attempts to recruit paramedics from overseas was part of a wider plan to boost the healthcare workforce.

“That’s been underway for some months now,” he added.

Ambulance crisis ‘going to keep happening’

Melbourne’s health system hit crisis point on Tuesday morning with not a single ambulance available to help patients in need and Ambulance Victoria forced to call a “code red”.

The emergency alert – used when paramedics cannot meet demand – was ­issued for the metropolitan area just after midnight and lasted until 4am.

At one point there was the staggering situation of no ambulances being available.

Ambulance Victoria ­refused to disclose how long this was for.

But the agency ­confirmed the code-red alert was triggered by “limited fleet availability”.

Victorian Ambulance Union general secretary Danny Hill said the code showed the system was under “enormous strain” and warned the demand wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

At one point Melbourne was left with zero available ambulances. Picture: David Crosling

“There’s nothing scarier than the truth, which is that for Melbourne’s entire population at one point last night – no matter how short that time frame was – no ambulances were available to ­respond to an emergency at that particular point in time,” he said.

“They dropped down to about 2 per cent fleet availability at (another) point.

“When the availability is that low … there’s literally ­nowhere you would say there is a safe amount of resources available.”

Mr Hill said staffing shortages and ambulance ramping – when paramedics have to treat patients in hospital car parks due to bed shortages – were key factors, alongside the usual post-weekend spike.

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“Paramedics are just so burnt out,” he said.

“We still have major issues with filling shifts and ultimately that leads to less ambulances being able to respond.

“(The code red) is a real kick in the guts for the crews who think, we’re not even close to being out of this increased demand.

“It’s just going to keep happening. It’s very hard for crews to see clear skies ahead in relation to the workload.”

Victorian Ambulance general secretary Danny Hill has warned the demand wouldn’t stop anytime soon.

The Herald Sun understands more than 145 ambulance staff members were isolating with Covid, sick or caring for others who were unwell on Monday.

This was at least the fifth code red called this year.

While some previous codes have triggered public warnings, Tuesday’s code – issued in the months before the state election – did not.

Mr Hill said the code red should have triggered public warnings of delays, so not-so- acute patients knew to travel to hospital via a taxi or friend, or to contact other health services. “When they’re that busy, you want to use every available resource you have to try and avoid increased ­demand,” he said.

“So much of the work that is coming through is not high-acuity cases.”

Tuesday morning’s code red comes days after revelations more than half of Melbourne’s intensive care ambulances were out of action last Wednesday night due to staff shortages.

An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said Tuesday’s situation was resolved with “services returning to normal within four hours”.

“Community messaging was prepared but not activated as our internal actions and support from partners improved the situation quickly,” she said.

A state government spokesman said the “pandemic, deferred care, worker furlough and a bad flu season all continue to have unprecedented effects on demand for emergency care”.

“We are continuing to do all we can to address this demand, including the fast- tracking of new paramedics – we recruited more than 700 in 2021 and have already recruited more than 200 paramedics this year,” he said.