16 Aug 2017 Alexandra Eildon Marysville Standard, Alexandra VIC (General News) AMBULANCE response times have improved across the Murrindindi Shire, with 37.2 per cent of ambulances arriving within 15 minutes of Code One emergencies, up from 29.3 per cent this time last year. In the latest ambulance and hospital performance data, released by Upper House Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes, the average response time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a Code One emergency in the Murrindindi shire also improved from 23.33 minutes to 22.19 minutes. Code One ambulance response times across Victoria hit 81 per cent in the last quarter, an improvement of six percentage points on the same period last year, and the best June quarter result on record. The state governments elective surgery blitz has also seen solid results with an end of year waiting list of 36,839 despite two additional services being added. If those services hadnt been added, the state government said that Victoria wouldve had its lowest waiting list on record. Our ambulance and health services are in the frontline giving patients the first class care they need and deserve, when they need it; our paramedics are getting to patients faster, when only minutes stand between life and death for some of our patients and our elective surgery blitz is making a real difference with more patients coming off waiting lists and into the operating theatre sooner, Ms Symes said. The improvements come as a result of reforms over the past year and a half and the governments $500 million plan to improve ambulance response times, employ 450 paramedics, buy new vehicles and build more ambulance stations. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.