ONGOING critical challenges faced by the local regional health system saw the Chiltern ambulance called to Albury-Wodonga 462 times last year to cover local ambulances ramped up at hospital emergency departments.
The alarming figure was revealed from a recent question on notice to the Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas by Benambra MP Bill Tilley.
Figures also indicated Beechworth Ambulance was sent to cover Border shortfalls on 175 occasions, Tallangatta 125 times and even Corryong, 122km away, was called in 14 times.
The latest data from the Victorian Agency for Health Information show Chiltern and Beechworth ambulances in Indigo Shire as well as Tallangatta and Corryong in Towong Shire are among the worst in the state for emergency ambulance responses.
It also follows the state government’s latest budget decision to fund just nine of the 16 short stay beds at Albury that act as a circuit breaker to demand for emergency beds.
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Mr Tilley said it showed how ramping at Albury Wodonga Health robs districts of ambulances.
“Indigo and Towong shires are repeatedly in the five worst performing districts when it comes to ambulances needed in a life-threatening emergency,” he said.
“Those ambulances are in Albury-Wodonga, when they should have been looking after their communities.”
Mr Tilley said the solution was not as simple as more hospital beds.
“Ambulance ramping is partly the result of the lack of beds for patients but there are other factors at play here,” he said.
“People are struggling to get into their GP, some can’t afford the cost and so they turn to emergency departments (EDs) as an alternative.
“Increasingly they turn up at emergency far sicker than they should through not seeing their local GP.
“The emergency departments at Albury and Wodonga see between 200 to 210 patients each day and has just 44 beds.”
“Geelong’s Barwon Health is the largest regional ED and sees, on average, about 220 patients a day, so 10 to 20 more than our health service and yet it has almost double the number of beds.
“We also know funding requests for modular units and a ward at Mercy Health that could provide additional beds to Albury Wodonga Health have repeatedly been ignored.”
Advocating for improved code one ambulance response times has been one of Indigo Shire’s highest priorities.
A joint submission with Towong Shire has been made to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Ambulance Victoria addressing challenges with ambulance response times in the region.
Besides additional ambulance resources to help bring response times closer to state averages, support for a new, single-site regional hospital to improve efficiencies across the health system is being advocated for as well.
A new state-of-the-art Beechworth Ambulance Station is to be built to replace the current station situated on Frederick Street.
Once complete, the multi-million-dollar ambulance branch will support more paramedics on the road in Beechworth to help meet the growing demand in the region.
The new ambulance station is being delivered as part of the state government’s ongoing investment in ambulance infrastructure, with more than $280 million committed since 2015 to upgrade and rebuild branches across the state.
