A boost to paramedics and ambulance services

An additional 105 paramedics and more ambulance services across the state have been announced.  

The package, $81 million over five years, increases paramedic numbers and improves ambulance services to meet the needs of families in Victoria’s growing suburbs.

The ambulance package will deliver 16 new or upgraded ambulance services in Melbourne’s growth corridors, including three new 24 hour ambulance branches, and upgrading six services to ensure all existing ambulance branches in the metropolitan region provide 24 hour coverage. It also includes seven new peak period units in parts of Melbourne that will operate during the busiest times of the day.

As part of the package, $16.4 million will be invested to trial emergency department response teams providing 34 additional nurses in 14 key metropolitan emergency departments during periods of high demand.  

These additional nurses will specifically work during busy periods, to triage and transfer patients arriving by ambulances at metropolitan emergency departments.

This new model of care aims to improve the transfer of patients arriving by ambulance to emergency departments and will allow ambulance crews to spend less time at the hospital, improving their available to respond to emergency callouts.