Ambulance response times in the North East, which for years have been the worst in Victoria, are improving, Ambulance Victoria says.
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The situation was so dire in Indigo Shire some were moving from smaller towns to larger centres such as Wangaratta to be closer to medical attention.
But things have improved, according to Ambulance Victoria which says paramedics are reaching patients in the Hume region faster than a year ago despite another record-breaking quarter for emergency ambulance demand.
Paramedics attended 34.5 per cent of code 1 patients within 15 minutes in Indigo Shire - up from 19.6 per cent a year earlier which is the second largest improvement in the state. As a result, paramedics are arriving three minutes and 39 seconds faster than a year ago.
Compared with a year ago, response times to code 1 patients were one minute and 10 seconds faster in Wodonga local government area, and two minutes and 39 seconds faster in Benalla LGA.
In Shepparton, the average response time to code 1 patients was 13 minutes and 48 seconds, an improvement from 16 minutes and 23 seconds a year ago.
Hume regional director Steve Doyle said the average response time to code 1 "lights and sirens" cases across Victoria was now under 15 minutes for the first time in more than two years.
"While there is more work ahead of us, it is encouraging our response to code 1 emergencies improved a full minute and 46 seconds across Victoria compared to a year ago," Mr Doyle said.
"The Productivity Commission's recent report on government services shows Victoria has Australia's most trusted paramedics and leads the nation in cardiac arrest survival and pain management.
"Our dedicated paramedics and first responders are to be commended for the outstanding care they deliver to communities across the state."
The last quarter of 2023 was the busiest in Ambulance Victoria's history with 154,267 emergency cases. This includes 99,833 code 1 cases - the second most on record - and 54,434 code 2 cases.
Between October and December 2023, paramedics across Victoria responded to 67.3 per cent of code 1 cases within the statewide target of 15 minutes - up from 66 per cent for the previous three months and 7.1 percentage points better than 60.2 per cent a year ago.
Performance against the 15-minute target for code 1 cases improved in 74 of Victoria's 79 local government areas compared with a year ago. In the Hume region, the biggest improvements were in the Indigo, Mansfield, Towong, Greater Shepparton and Benalla LGAs.
Clinical operations executive director Anthony Carlyon said improved performance followed increased use of alternative and virtual care services for people in the community who did not require an ambulance.
"From October to December 2023, 38,695 people who did not need an emergency ambulance were instead connected to more appropriate care by paramedics and nurses in AV's Secondary Triage team," Mr Carlyon said.
