Regional Victorians need more MICA services, union says

Highly-skilled paramedics are being sent as far west as the South Australian border, as regional resources are stretched thin.

Mobile intensive care ambulances in regional Victoria are covering huge swathes of the state, with some travelling almost to the border of South Australia.

It comes as ambulance response times across the state did not meet performance targets for the final three months of last financial year.

MICA paramedics, according to Ambulance Victoria, have a higher clinical skill set and can perform more advanced medical procedures.

They operate either as a two person crew or a single responder.

In 2022-23 Ambulance Victoria had 581 full-time equivalent MICA staff and trainees, with about 20 MICA resources across regional Victoria.

But Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill said in some instances, Horsham-based MICA resources were responding to calls almost at the South Australian border, while MICA Wonthaggi is understood to be covering an area approximately 4000sq km.

“The resources are far more stretched rurally,” Mr Hill said.

“If you’ve got no MICA capacity at Bairnsdale, if they’re ramped at the hospital the nearest MICA has to come across from Sale or Morwell. It’s a huge gap for resourcing for the entire East Gippsland area.”

“We definitely need more investment in MICA across rural Victoria, combined with better management of existing services,” Mr Hill said.

The Ambulance Victoria performance report for April to June 2024, which outlined the official response time target for Code 1 incidents as less than or equal to 15 minutes 85 per cent statewide, showed only 64.2 per cent of responses met target.

Highly-skilled MICA services are being stretched thin in regional Victoria, according to Victorian Ambulance Union secretary Danny Hill. Picture: David Caird

That was down on the 67.7 per cent the quarter prior.

Ambulance Victoria acting executive director regional operations Michael Georgiou said the health system has been “extremely busy” as due to seasonal illness, and encouraged people calling for an ambulance to provide “accurate information to ensure they receive the right care”.

“This week, AV launched the MICA Rural Resource Prioritisation trial across selected rural crews including Morwell, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo,” Mr Georgiou said.

“The program is intended to ensure the optimal use of MICA resources by preserving them for the most life-threatening cases such as cardiac arrest, particularly during night shifts when demand can be high.”

Earlier this month, The Nationals moved to establish an inquiry into Ambulance Victoria performance and workplace culture.

Member for Eastern Victorian Melina Bath said paramedics have spoken about health issues and gaps in services across the state.

“The inquiry will be unpacking those gaps, and the need for a 24-hour MICA service in Gippsland,” Ms Bath said.

“We deserve a level of health care that others receive in the city. It’s a systems failure … regional Victorians are feeling vulnerable.”