The Allan Labor Government is making sure all Victorians can get the care they need, when they need it – delivering a funding boost to support our busy paramedics and emergency departments.
The Victorian Budget 2024/25 will invest $146 million to support a range of initiatives that offer Victorians an alternative care pathway and reduce pressure on our paramedics and emergency departments.
This package will ensure Priority Primary Care Centres (PPCCs) continue to provide care to Victorians who require urgent care but not an emergency response, seven days a week – at no cost and with or without a Medicare card.
More than 7,000 Victorians visit a PPCC each week and around 40 per cent of patients are children requiring care for conditions such as lacerations, respiratory illness, and tonsilitis.
Since the first PPCC opened its doors in September 2022 – they have cared for more than 380,000 people while the Moonee Ponds PPCC has cared for more than 17,000 local residents.
Data has also revealed that more than 50 per cent of patients would have otherwise attended an emergency department if the service was not available.
The funding also supports Ambulance Victoria’s Secondary Triage and the Medium Acuity Transport Service (MATS) ensuring ambulances are free to respond to the most urgent patients as our paramedics face sustained demand.
Staffed by paramedics, nurses and mental health specialists, Secondary Triage has managed more than 1.7 million Triple Zero calls since April 2016 – providing close to 1 million Victorians with self-care advice or connecting them to an alternative care option such as the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department.
Every day the Secondary Triage team handles around 1,000 cases, helping ambulances avoid visiting around 20 per cent of callers – taking some of the pressure off our dedicated paramedics.
Based across Victoria, MATS crews are made up of a graduate paramedic and qualified paramedic and respond to Code 2 and Code 3 cases for things like fractures, minor bleeding and non-traumatic pain.
This model gives new recruits the chance to learn from senior colleagues and frees up other ambulances for lights and sirens Code 1 patients. Since launching in 2021, MATS has helped deliver a 13.7 per cent reduction in the number of Code 2 and Code 3 cases attended by a normal ambulance.
The Victorian Budget 2024/25 is delivering a massive $13 billion boost to support the delivery of world class healthcare, better facilities and the latest equipment for all Victorians.
As stated by Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas
“We’re making sure Victorians can get the care they need, when they need it while also boosting services that reduce the pressure on our ambulance service and emergency departments.”
As stated by Member for Essendon Danny Pearson
“It’s comforting to know that not only do we have a PPCC right around the corner in Moonee Ponds, but at any time of the day urgent care and advice is just a phone call away thanks to our Secondary Triage and VVED.”
