Victorian paramedics under ‘huge stress’ with highest number of triple-0 calls in years

One state is grappling with massive volumes of triple-0 calls, prompting an urgent warning from exhausted paramedics.

Victorian paramedics will be relying on students, SES crews and volunteer first responders to help drive ambulances as coronavirus cases create unprecedented demand.

One of the state’s top paramedics said ambulance and hospital services were the busiest they had ever been, urging people to call triple-zero only in an emergency.

Ambulance Victoria executive director of clinical operations Mick Stephenson said paramedics were taking about 150 Covid-positive patients to hospital each day, all of whom need to be screened, slowing down hospital admissions.

“It’s absolutely fundamental that only those who are seriously unwell go to hospital and all others receive care as they can in the community,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“What we know at the moment is we’re getting a lot of calls from patients with Covid-19 who are anxious or are concerned about having Covid-19 and are calling an ambulance for those reasons, but not because they’re sick.”

Triple-0 operators have been inundated with calls, with an almost record-breaking 3250 ambulance requests made on Monday - levels not seen since the deadly 2016 thunderstorm asthma event.

A video posted to social media on Monday night showed long queues of ambulances ramping at Northern Hospital in Epping, which is the closest hospital to the epicentre of Melbourne’s outbreak.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the time spent on hold to triple-0 by the family of a three-year-old girl who died in Central Victoria during a cardiac arrest that same night.

Ambulance ramping Northern Hospital Melbourne. pic.twitter.com/IkydGq0PKw

— dramynicho (@DrAmyNicho) September 27, 2021

Victoria’s triple-0 service, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, said the call was answered within 1 minute and 41 seconds, outside ESTA’s target range, because of the almost unprecedented demand.

“ESTA sends our deepest condolences to the family involved. Our triple-zero operators care deeply about the service they provide and the community they serve,” a spokeswoman said.

“ESTA will continue to investigate the call.”

Ambulance Victoria said several emergency ambulances were dispatched “without delay” after they were called to the cardiac arrest at 6.29pm.

An advanced life support crew was the first to arrive at 6.43pm. They loaded the patient and were met by a specialist crew while en route.

“Sadly, despite the best efforts of our paramedics and those on the scene, the patient did not survive,” Acting Loddon Mallee regional director Trevor Weston said.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says health services are under unprecedented demand. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“We offer our sincerest condolences to the patient’s family at this difficult time.”

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said emergency departments, hospitals and paramedics were under “huge stress” with demand from both Covid-19 cases and other emergency presentations.

“The truth of the matter is we are facing unprecedented levels of demand and we need to continue to work hard to build a surge capacity,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“It is why we are working through Ambulance Victoria to create a surge workforce capacity to meet the projected demand, as the Burnet (Institute) modelling makes clear is only going to increase in October.”

There are 371 Covid cases in Victorian hospitals, with 81 people in intensive care.

Originally published as Victorian paramedics under ‘huge stress’ with highest number of triple-0 calls in years