The Yarra Ranges faced a slight increase in ambulance response times in quarter one of 2025/26, according to Ambulance Victoria.
With just over 49 per cent of callouts attended in under 15 minutes and the average response time sitting at 18 minutes 28 seconds, it marked a small increase on quarter four of 2024/25.
It came off the back of a record-breaking winter with demand for critical emergency care surging as seasonal illness spread throughout the state.
AV Executive Director Regional Operations Michael Georgiou said between July and September, demand for lights and sirens ambulances across Victoria increased by 2.8 per cent compared with the previous quarter.
“Winter consistently brings the highest emergency call volumes, and this year was no exception. This was our busiest first quarter on record with 101,632 Code 1 emergencies in just three months, and overall, it was our second busiest quarter ever,” Mr Georgiou said.
“This was another challenging winter – the entire health system was extremely busy with seasonal illness. We are incredibly proud of our highly skilled paramedics and first responders for the exceptional care they provide their communities – all day, every day.
“We sincerely thank our people who worked tirelessly to meet record levels of demand this winter. Their dedication and commitment to consistently deliver best care and saving lives under pressure is remarkable.
“Despite this record demand, we continue to lead the way in pre-hospital patient care, including the best cardiac arrest survival rates in Australia and third best anywhere in the world.”
In the Metropolitan Region crews responded to 71,140 Code 1 cases between July and September 2025 – which is 1.69 per cent more a year ago (69,959) and 2.7 per cent more than three months ago (69,275).
Metropolitan Regional Director Jessica McGowan said the support of the community can also help save lives – if you need help but it’s not life-threatening, we encourage you to consider the most appropriate care for your situation.
“Our paramedics are focused on reaching the sickest patients first — but every day, about one in five calls to Triple Zero (000) do not need an emergency ambulance response,” Ms McGowan said.
“Getting the right care fast can make all the difference and means more paramedics are on the road for people who need our urgent lifesaving care the most.
“There are many options people can access when they need timely medical care and health advice, at any time of the night or day – but not an emergency ambulance or calling Triple Zero (000), including the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED), Urgent Care Clinics, Nurse-on-Call, GPs and pharmacists.”
Ms McGowan said AV is working closely with hospitals, emergency services and government partners to keep patients moving through the system as quickly as possible and get ambulances back on the road sooner.
“The Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care are already making a difference transferring patients into hospital care in a consistent, safe and timely way,” Ms McGowan said.
“As part of this work, our crews have made steady improvements to improve our hospital clearing times and return to the community faster. Every small improvement – from more efficient handovers to quicker clearing times – adds up to better care for all Victorians.”
In a life-threatening emergency always call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
