Eildon MP on how government can fix regional health system issue

Regional Victorians deserve better ambulance services, writes Cindy McLeish.

Mansfield ambulance response times are the slowest in the state, and MP Cindy McLeish says more needs to be done to help them. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Ambulance Victoria is in crisis. The latest quarterly performance data shows that response times are worsening and ramping is a daily occurrence. The situation is getting worse under the Labor government and lives are now at risk. This is despite our paramedics doing a terrific job as they work under immense pressure.

Despite fewer call outs for life threatening incidents last year, response times increased by 3.3 minutes. Ambulance wait times are the worst since the Andrews Government came to power and regional communities are suffering for it.

Eildon MP Cindy McLeish is calling for more to be done to improve regional ambulance services.

I understand the difficulties and immense strain regional ambulances and paramedics experience in achieving under 15-minute response times, due to sheer distance, rugged terrain and being understaffed. This makes response targets in some instances impossible to meet.

There’s no question regional paramedics are under immense pressure and stress due to under resourcing. Too frequently they work overtime on shifts to the point of exhaustion because they are understaffed, then are expected back at work the next day for their regular shift with minimum rest. They struggle to replace staff and stretch themselves thin attempting to be everywhere at once.

In 2015, the State Labor Government promised they were going to end hospital bypassing. But instead they just created a new term for it – diversion. So regional ambulances are still forced to travel well beyond their region to deliver their patients to hospital.

Once patients arrive at hospital emergency departments, too often they are waiting hours to be admitted. There are too many examples of ambulances ramping at regional hospitals, even today, because there are no beds available. This takes our already stretched regional ambulances off the roads for too long and puts people’s lives at risk as they wait for help. Ramping at city hospitals is a constant.

The impact of underfunding hits smaller communities the hardest. Take Mansfield for example – if an ambulance gets pulled out of Mansfield, whether it’s for a response in the high country, a trip to the hospital in Wangaratta 100km away, or to provide back up in Alexandra or Benalla some 70km away, it puts the system under constant pressure to fill gaps.

This is why the government needs to better support our regional towns and emergency services.

In Mansfield the State Labor Government must make improvements to the ambulance station and establish the long-awaited emergency services precinct. Our paramedics are operating from an outdated station that is too small, too old and inefficient. Providing this growing regional area with a new ambulance facility would certainly benefit the Mansfield and surrounding community and paramedics.

Cindy McLeish is the State Member for Eildon and Shadow Minister for Regional Cities.

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