Andrews fudges Ambulance data

LESS Victorians are getting a Code 1 response because Ambulance Victoria have re-coded over 300 emergency events from Code 1 to Code 2 and Daniel Andrews has deliberately hidden this decision from Victorians, says Shadow Minister for Health Mary Woolridge.

Ambulance performance data released today shows that Ambulance Victoria responded to 23 per cent fewer Code 1 emergencies compared to the same time last year.

This means that in the first three months of this year over 18,000 Victorians were downgraded from the most urgent response category, and therefore either waiting much longer or not getting an ambulance at all.

While Daniel Andrews claims to have improved ambulance performance, it is clear that published response time improvements are a result of a massive reduction in the number of ambulance attendances, not an improvement in service delivery for patients.

The reduction in responses comes as paramedics are under additional pressures to deal with victims of assault and other violent crimes with Victoria’s escalating crime crisis and booming population growth.

Quotes attributable to Shadow Minister for Health Mary Wooldridge:

The Andrews Labor Government is more focused on manipulating their data than improving the health of Victorian families.

Fudging the numbers is not the answer when paramedics are under massive pressure, especially responding to victims of violent crime under Daniel Andrews’ crime crisis.

Daniel Andrews should come clean about his secret changes to Ambulance Victoria and which patients will no longer get the urgent care they previously would have.