03 May 2017 Wangaratta Chronicle, Wangaratta VIC (General News) CODE one ambulance call outs in Wangaratta are now being responded to more than one minute faster than the same time last year. Thats the latest ambulance response time figures which also show 75.6 per cent of call outs in Wangaratta for code one emergency figures were responded to within the 15 minutes benchmark, up from 71.5 per cent 12 months prior. The 80 per cent rate is the best Wangaratta has seen in seven years and means the average time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a code one emergency in Wangaratta over the same period has improved from 14:32 minutes to 13:11. Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) said the State Governments investment in more paramedics and more ambulances had helped to improve the response times. With the response times continuing to improve, families in Wangaratta can now have confidence that in an emergency theyll get the life-saving care they need, when they need it, she said. Here in Wangaratta were investing so we can continue to perform more surgeries and treat and admit more patients than ever before despite record demand on our health system. The Victorian Budget 2017/18 includes an additional $26.5 million to continue to improve response times and rebuild our ambulance service. The funding in the budget builds on the State Governments $500 million plan to improve ambulance response times the biggest ever investment in ambulance services which is employing 450 more paramedics, buying new vehicles and building new ambulance stations across the state. An additional 127 full-time equivalent, highly-skilled paramedics have already been trained and on the road, ready to respond to life-threatening emergencies and save lives. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.