Ambulance call answer times blow out in Victoria

Callum Godde
Feb 02, 2023, updated Feb 02, 2023

The lack of available ambulances in Melbourne on Monday prompted a code orange. Photo: AAP

Victoria had Australia’s worst ambulance call response times last financial year.

The Productivity Commission released the health component of its 2023 government services report on Thursday, highlighting the state of Australia’s ambulance services.

It showed the proportion of triple zero calls for an ambulance answered by an operator within 10 seconds or less plunged to 81.3 per cent in 2021/22, down from 89.2 per cent the previous financial year.

Victoria fared the worst of all states and territories, with about two in three calls (65.6 per cent) answered within 10 seconds over the 12-month span. That was down from 88.9 per cent in 2020/21.

Results deteriorated across all jurisdictions, but no others fell below 85 per cent.

Victoria’s triple zero call-taking service, the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, was thrown into disarray after COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed in October 2021.

It led to response times in the state hitting record lows during the first Omicron wave in January 2022, and a subsequent report linking 33 deaths to call delays.

The Victorian government has since committed to overhaul the service, along with $333 million to recruit and train almost 400 extra call-takers.

The report shows there were 4.2 million incidents reported to ambulance services across the nation last financial year, and 5.3 million where an ambulance was dispatched.

State- and territory-wide ambulance response times, calculated to the 90th percentile, were longest in South Australia (58.3 minutes), NSW (36.8 minutes) and Tasmania (34 minutes), although data from SA cannot be compared because of technical reasons.

The Victorian government has been contacted for a response.