Ambulance response times in the inner west for the first three months of 2025 were an improvement on the previous quarter, but down compared to 12 months earlier.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) performance data from January 1 to March 31 showed the average response times for code one critical emergencies in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong were both above the 15-minute target.
In Hobsons Bay, there were 1201 code one call outs with an average response time of 15.47, compared to 1290 call outs with an average response of 15.19 at the same point a year earlier.
However, the result was still almost a one minute improvement on the 16.45 average recorded from 1366 call outs in the previous quarter from October to December 2024.
The percentage of responses to code one cases arriving within 15 minutes was 60.9, down from 63.6 a year earlier, but better than the 58.9 figure achieved in the previous three months.
In Maribyrnong, the results were better with a total of 1229 code one call outs for the quarter and an average response time of 15.11.
These were slower than 12 months earlier when 1253 call outs were responded to in an average time of 14.34, but faster than the 15.33 average from 1315 call outs recorded three months prior.
The percentage of responses arriving within the 15 minute target time in Maribyrnong rose to 66.9 for the quarter, compared to 68.8 a year earlier and 63.7 for the previous quarter.
The trend was repeated statewide, with code one responses improving on the previous quarter, but still down on the previous year.
AV executive director of regional operations Danielle North said the improvement on the previous quarter was down to a drop in demand for paramedics across the first three months of this year.
“We know there is more work to do,” Ms North said.
“We continue to work with our partners to ensure our paramedics and first responders are dispatched to the right patient at the right time.”
