Major upgrade for gisborne paramedics and patients

Patients in Gisborne will get the urgent care they need faster and paramedics will get the modern station they deserve thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.

Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas today met with local paramedics to discuss the upgrade to the Gisborne branch, which will mean improved facilities that can accommodate more paramedics to care for the local community when they need it most.

A modern and fit-for-purpose facility will also help our hard-working paramedics do what they do best – save lives.

The Victorian Budget 2019/20 included $109 million to recruit more than 90 paramedics, get 23 extra vehicles on the road, convert 15 single crew branches to dual crew and upgrade and build new ambulance branches – including Gisborne.

It’s part of a nearly $300 million investment in our ambulance services that will support improved response times for years to come.

The Liberals plunged Victoria’s ambulance system into crisis when they went to war with paramedics, prompting response times to become the worst on the mainland.

The Labor Government has fixed this, slashing response times to the best they’ve been in recent history by putting on more paramedics, building more stations, and putting the latest, cutting-edge vehicles out on the road.

In the January to March quarter, performance data shows Ambulance Victoria attended a total of 72,318 time-critical Code 1 call-outs across the state, up by more than 5,705 the year before.

Despite the increased demand in the Macedon Ranges Shire, ambulances were arriving at the scene of life-threatening emergencies in an average of 13:21 minutes – an improvement of 59 seconds from a year prior – and 3:15 minutes faster than the Liberals’ last March quarter.

Our record investment, reforms and respect for paramedics are ensuring that the most critical patients are getting the care they need sooner.

Planning work will begin shortly to ensure the upgrade meets the needs of the community and local paramedics.

Quotes attributable to Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas:
"Gisborne’s paramedics are there for our community when we need them most – to provide urgent care when there’s an emergency or a loved one suddenly falls ill."

"Our paramedics do a wonderful job and I’m so proud that we are upgrading Gisborne station and bringing on more paramedics – to give them the resources they need."