Queue crisis: Ambulances line up for hours at GV Health

“GV Health continues to experience increased demand for its emergency department and has recently seen an increase in patients arriving with high acuity and who require longer stays in hospital,” GV Health chief operating officer Donna Sherringham said.

“We ask that community members only come to the emergency department for conditions that are urgent or life-threatening.”

In response to the ambulance ramping, state Member for Shepparton Kim O’Keeffe said the region’s healthcare services “desperately need more support”.

“Our local paramedics do an incredible job under enormous stress, and it’s distressing to see this rate of ramping,” she said.

“Local response times are still falling short of targets.”

GV Health has rejected this claim, stating that the hospital has, in fact, increased the percentage of patients transferred from ambulance to emergency department within 40 minutes compared to last year.

Ms Sherringham said GV Health was implementing a range of initiatives to improve patient flow, free up space in its emergency department and improve ambulance transfer times.

To provide greater support for the region’s health services, state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell called on the Victorian Government for assistance.

The Liberal MP was recently at Victorian parliament and urged the government to reverse budget cuts to health and ambulance services, increase funding for ambulance services and complete stage two of the GV Health redevelopment.

“The Allan Labor Government has put projects like the suburban rail loop ahead of vital services in regional Victoria,” she said.

“Hard-working paramedics, who confront the most difficult and traumatic scenes and save lives every day, deserve the support necessary to perform their vital work.

“The Minister for Ambulance Services must increase funding for ambulance services and ensure ramping is eliminated.”