AMBULANCE VICTORIA 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT

AMBULANCE VICTORIA 

2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT

Ambulance Victoria aims to improve the health of the 

community by providing high quality pre-hospital care 

and medical transport. 

We provide emergency medical response to more than 

5.2 million people in an area of more than 227,000 

square kilometres. As part of our charter we: 

• Respond rapidly to requests for help in a 

medical emergency 

• Provide specialised medical skills to maintain 

life and reduce injuries in emergency situations 

and while transporting patients 

• Provide specialised transport facilities to move 

people requiring emergency medical treatment 

• Provide services for which specialised medical 

or transport skills are necessary 

• Foster public education in first aid. 

AV was created on 1 July 2008 following the merger of 

the Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Rural Ambulance 

Victoria and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service. 

The AV website at www.ambulance.vic.gov.au contains 

information about AV and is regularly updated with 

the latest in statistics, developments and media 

releases. AV also produces a range of brochures and 

publications, which are available on request. 

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2009 - 2010 Annual Report

Some of this annual report is presented 

in a pocket on the inside back cover. This 

material includes the financial report, 

financial summary and disclosure index. 


2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT

Chair Report 

The second year of Ambulance 

Victoria has been a year in which 

the benefits of a combined 

Ambulance Service for all of 

Victoria can be seen and many 

improvements and enhancements 

have been achieved. 

This year has also emphasised the way in which 

Victorians increasingly depend upon and turn to 

Ambulance Victoria for assistance. 

At Ambulance Victoria we are particularly proud of the 

results of research which we have both participated in 

and on some occasions led which has demonstrated 

that the quality of care provided by our paramedics 

makes both real and long term improvements for 

the health of our patients. This includes improving 

outcomes for traffic accident and cardiac patients. 

As an ambulance service such quantifiable differences 

are very important for us, but for our more than 3,000 

paramedics and 900 volunteers throughout the state, 

every call that they attend is an occasion where they 

take great pride in helping that person and that family 

in their time of need. 

Having paramedics available to care for Victorians 

requires a great deal of co-ordination behind the 

scenes – the buildings, the vehicles, the equipment, 

communications, ongoing training and quality 

processes are just some of the factors that need to be 

in place. Over the past year I have been particularly 

proud and reassured by the significant improvements 

in communications which have occurred in regional 

and rural Victoria meaning that the skills of our 

paramedics are matched by the infrastructure needed 

to best co-ordinate the delivery of pre-hospital care 

throughout our state. 

The people of Victoria appropriately depend upon a 

high level of skill and availability from Ambulance 

Victoria. The efforts of each and every one of our staff 

in working so hard together to continuously improve 

the service means that ultimately the health of our 

community is much improved. Recognition by the 

Community of our improved service is reflected most 

recently in the 2009-2010 Community Satisfaction 

Survey results where AV achieved an overall 90% 

satisfied result. This is the best result seen in 

ambulance to date and one for which all AV staff 

should be very proud. 

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to 

thank the CEO Greg Sassella and the Executive team, 

for their support and diligence over the last 12 months, 

which has been integral to the further development 

of the service and to our achievements during the 

year. The Board has also provided fine stewardship 

throughout the past year and their expertise and 

knowledge has also been integral to the achievements 

of the Service. 

Marika McMahon 

Chair 

2009 - 2010 Annual Report AMBULANCE VICTORIA 5

Chief Executive Officer Report 

The aim of Ambulance Victoria 

(AV) is identified as ‘improving 

the health of our community 

and our patients’ and we have 

maintained our commitment 

to that aim during another 

demanding year. 

The 2009-2010 year delivered another period of record 

demand and, while we were unable to meet our 

response time targets, our patients’ medical outcomes 

improved yet again on the previous year. 

We are able to achieve those improved outcomes by 

continuing to prioritise our emergency crews to the 

most time critical patients and also by engaging with 

the community to ensure that immediate assistance 

is provided. 

Our central strategy is based around the patient and 

their medical outcomes. Focusing on what happens from 

the patients’ perspective clarifies the challenges we face 

as an organisation and drives all of our decisions. 

With a focus on ongoing service improvement, we 

measure our activities and their effectiveness. Included 

in our measures are records of the number of emergency 

calls and our response times. We also measure the effect 

of our clinical interventions on the immediate and longer 

term medical condition of our patients. 

We focus on key indicators which measure the impact 

on the quality of clinical outcome. This allows us 

to understand the significance of our interventions 

and also to change our clinical practice for future 

improvements to patient medical outcomes. 

We closely monitor our interventions by collecting 

comprehensive electronic data on each patient, and 

by working in partnership with hospitals to conduct 

important medical research. This helps us identify 

which interventions produce better patient outcomes, 

and these become our standards of care. 

Patients suffering a cardiac arrest, heart attack or 

severe primary brain injury all had significantly higher 

survival rates and better medical outcomes this year. 

AV has established itself as a world leader in relation 

to these results and it was pleasing to see a number 

of medical research publications with articles 

covering our achievements in respect of better 

patient medical outcomes. 

We continue to take patients with specific injuries and 

illness to the most appropriate hospital. For example, 

serious burns patients go to the state’s burns centre at 

the Alfred, critical trauma patients to the Alfred, Royal 

Melbourne Hospital or Royal Children’s Hospital and 

patients requiring cardiac stents go direct to catheter 

labs for surgical intervention. In the metropolitan 

region, and some rural regions, suspected stroke 

patients are taken directly to one of the seven specialist 

stroke centres. 

The principle of taking patients to the most appropriate 

hospital for their condition applies statewide, and often 

involves using AV’s helicopters and planes to transport 

time-critical patients. The addition of AV’s fifth 

helicopter in the state’s south-west has enhanced our 

statewide coverage. It supports our focus on providing 

a response, treatment and transport for patients that 

gives the best possible survival and quality medical 

outcomes. In other words, we provide ‘right care, right 

time, right place’. 

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People in rural Victoria have more access to specialist 

facilities in the Melbourne metropolitan area than 

ever before, due to the recent increase in helicopter 

numbers and the development and growth of Adult 

Retrieval Victoria and its team of doctors. 

During the year we began one of the most significant 

reforms in our rural regions. By commencing the 

transition of the previous independent communications 

centres into a single centre, we will be better 

positioned to prioritise patients and make the most 

effective use of available resources. 

The new centre will have the most up-to-date technology 

to support paramedics and ensure the best response 

is provided to the community. The transition would not 

have been possible without the strong partnership we 

enjoy with the Emergency Services Telecommunications 

Authority (ESTA) and a close working relationship with 

the Department of Justice (DoJ). 

The implementation of a Computer Aided Dispatch 

(CAD) system for our rural communities will provide the 

capability for increased use of satellite technology and 

improved management and information systems. It will 

also allow for further knowledge-based development 

of AV. That knowledge can then be applied to improving 

patient care due to operational efficiencies, such as our 

Call Referral system, which helps maximise ambulance 

availability for emergencies. 

The implementation of these strategies has allowed 

AV to divide its operations into emergency and 

non-emergency parts and, hence, to ensure the 

relevant expertise for each is applied for patient 

and service improvements. 

Work continued on a range of other important 

initiatives. Human resource and finance systems have 

been introduced and improved respectively and as 

each step is taken, we learn more about ourselves as a 

single service and tackle issues as they are identified. 

This work is largely unseen to the outsider and the 

commitment and resilience of our staff has been critical 

to the delivery of these important systems. 

I would like to thank the Board of Directors for 

their guidance throughout the year, my executive 

management team who continue to deliver in 

challenging times and, once again, all AV staff, 

paramedics and their managers who perform so 

well year after year in providing such excellent 

service to the community. 

Greg Sassella 

Chief Executive Officer 

Another element of the reforms is the consolidation 

of the Non Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) part 

of AV operations. A competitive tender process was 

conducted with private providers selected to provide 

these services with guaranteed levels of availability 

in specified areas along with performance measures 

to ensure high standards of service are delivered. 

In other communities, AV will provide the services. 

We are confident that the combined approach will 

ensure rural communities, and their hospitals, receive 

improved service for patients. 


Report of Operations 2009-2010 

It was another exceptionally busy year as 

Ambulance Victoria (AV) responded to a record 

number of emergency calls. 

At the same time as meeting that challenge, the 

organisation continued to develop and restructure 

its operations as it moved through its second year 

of existence with some significant reforms 

implemented in the rural region of Operations. 

The Non Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT) area 

of Operations was consolidated, with the service 

provided by a mix of in-house crews and privately 

contracted companies. Targeted performance 

indicators will ensure service delivery is improved. 

We also began the consolidation of the previous five 

independent Rural Communication Centres to one 

specialised centre in Ballarat, to be operated by the 

Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority 

(ESTA), with more sophisticated technology. 

During the year we began the separation of the NEPT 

and emergency call taking and dispatch functions 

providing a clear distinction between the two parts of 

our service delivery model. These developments, in 

conjunction with the consolidation of our NEPT service 

providers under contract with embedded KPIs, provide 

a strong basis for further improvements to services 

and our patient outcomes. 

Across the state, we responded to Code 1 calls 

(lights and sirens) within 15 minutes in 81 per cent 

of cases. In areas with a population of more than 

7,500, our response was 87 per cent within 15 minutes. 

Response times were impacted by a significant 

increase in demand and were below target. 

In 2009-2010, we responded to a record 462,830 

emergency incidents, an increase of six per cent on 

the previous year. These included 128,890 road incidents 

in our five rural regions, 330,741 incidents in the 

metropolitan region and 3,199 emergency air incidents 

(2,064 by helicopter and 1,135 by plane). This represents 

an average of 1,268 emergency incidents per day. 

In addition, AV also provided services to 286, 004 

(784 per day) non emergency incidents, bringing the 

total number of cases for the year to 748,834. 

During the year our cardiac arrest outcomes 

improved and our performance with heart attack 

patients also set a world-best standard with 90 per 

cent of these patients receiving cardiac surgeon 

intervention in 56 minutes 90 percent of time; against 

the Australian and American Heart Foundation 

standard of 106 minutes 75 percent of the time. 

The clinical trial investigating the most effective 

treatment for patients with severe primary brain 

injury also demonstrated significant benefits with 

a 13 per cent improvement in return to independent 

and non-insured living for those patients. The focus 

on patient medical outcomes is proving to be most 

beneficial to the community and meets our obligation 

to ‘improve the health of our community’. 

In respect of increasing demand for services, we 

continue to seek efficiencies that maximise the 

availability of emergency ambulances. 

A very effective initiative is AV’s Referral Service, 

which deals with 000 calls classified as low medical 

priority, where the patient’s condition indicates that an 

ambulance may not be necessary. The aim is to ensure 

the caller gets the medical help that resolves their issue, 

which may mean a referral to more appropriate care – 

such as seeing a doctor or self-treating the condition. 

This referral service managed 39,190 emergency 

calls during the year, an increase of more than 

19 per cent, and referred 28,952 callers to alternative 

care, almost 20 per cent more than the previous year. 

The system reduces ambulance response demand 

by around 8 percent in the metropolitan region and 

we are pleased that this initiative has been approved 

for expansion into rural regions and expect similar 

benefits to be achieved. 

We continue to work with the Department of Health 

and health services to improve the transfer time of 

patients at hospitals in the metropolitan area. 

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AV has developed a series of measures to strengthen 

the emergency medical response in more remote 

communities, including the training and deployment 

of Ambulance Community Officers (ACOs) and 

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), 

and more recently the inclusion of Remote Area 

Nurses (RANs) as co-responders to serious cases. 

ACOs are employed on a casual basis to work mainly 

in small communities where it is not practical to 

maintain a permanent paramedic crew. They also 

support paramedics in some communities. There 

are about 500 ACOs who are active in their local 

communities in promoting health care. 

CERTs are located in less populated and more remote 

areas of the state. At 30 June 2010, there were 28 

teams with a total of 496 volunteers. During the year, 

volunteers attended 3,454 emergency cases. 

RANs operate from Victoria’s 14 Bush Nursing Centres, 

and can be called on to be first responders or 

co-responders in a 000 emergency. The nurses’ scope 

of practice is comparable to that of an Advanced Life 

Support paramedic, with special legislation enabling 

the nurses to administer a range of medications in an 

emergency without a doctor’s order. 

These volunteers and staff have provided a faster 

response in medical emergencies, with early 

intervention and support for patients. 

Access to emergency services was further 

strengthened from 1 July 2009, when AV’s fifth 

helicopter came into service on schedule, based 

at Warrnambool in the state’s south-west. 

The Bell 412-Ep, known as HEMS 4 (standing for 

Helicopter Emergency Medical Service), flew 135 

patients during the year and was involved in a 

number of search and rescue (SAR) operations. 

The helicopter expands the existing fleet of emergency 

response helicopters HEMS 1 (Essendon), HEMS 2 

(LaTrobe Valley) and HEMS 3 (Bendigo) and HEMS 5 

(a medical retrieval and emergency response 

helicopter based at Essendon) ensuring rural 

communities have rapid access to our highest level 

of care and transport to major specialist care in the 

Melbourne metropolitan region. 

In 2009-2010, our helicopters transported 1,595 patients, 

208 more than the previous year. We were called to 2,064 

incidents, 305 more than the previous year. 

The majority of helicopter work is pre-hospital time 

critical emergencies, which are often trauma and 

paediatric cases, with the balance mostly interhospital 

transfers (with a small amount of search 

and rescue, and transporting remote patients). 

Our four pressurised aeroplanes based at Essendon 

were also busy during the year, flying 4,383 patients. 

The planes mainly flew patients from regional Victoria 

to Melbourne, providing access to specialist medical 

and hospital facilities. 

This service includes transporting people for regular 

treatments such as oncology and dialysis. We also 

fly patients with acute medical conditions requiring 

surgery, transfer injured patients from regional 

hospitals to specialist care and retrieve critically ill 

patients from regional hospitals to specialist care, 

such as cardiac care and intensive care. 

The inter-hospital transfer of seriously ill patients 

is coordinated by AV’s Adult Retrieval Victoria (ARV), 

which uses doctors, paramedics and MICA paramedics 

to move critically ill patients between hospitals, 

using road ambulances, planes and helicopters. 

ARV also provides telephone advice on the clinical care 

of critically ill patients (mostly to smaller hospitals), 

coordinates critical care beds in the hospital systems 

and manages the state’s Trauma Advice Line. 

During the year ARV took over management of 

monitoring the availability of critical care beds 

in Victoria’s hospitals via a web based system. 

This ensures AV is aware of the availability of these 

beds and is able to quickly transfer patients to the 

appropriate hospital. ARV also began providing a 

service for the inter-hospital transfer of critically 

ill patients within the metropolitan area. 

Throughout 2009-2010 we continued to align our 

systems and to ultimately build a stronger, more 

efficient and more effective ambulance service. 


AV’s structure has several key design considerations, 

including retaining the strengths and knowledge 

of the previous organisations, a strong operations 

presence in the executive and improved consistency 

in processes, roles and systems. 

It also has a statewide service delivery model, with 

strong, centralised support functions, such as HR, 

IT and finance, supporting a decentralised service. 

There were a number of highlights during the year. 

• We continued a program of upgrading and rebuilding 

branches, particularly in regional Victoria. We have 

more than 240 branches and in many cases we are 

replacing existing buildings to provide paramedics 

with state-of-the-art facilities. In rural projects 

we employ local builders and tradesmen, where 

possible, to carry out these building works. 

• We employed 263 new operational staff 

(This includes: QAPs, GAPs, RSDPs, undergraduates 

and MICA). New paramedic recruits are university 

educated and the graduates have a four-week 

induction program, followed by a minimum 

12-months internship to develop to qualified 

ambulance paramedic level. Undergraduates 

have a 24-month program to allow for concurrent 

completion of their university degree. 

• The successful 12-lead ECG program expanded 

throughout the metropolitan area and into Geelong, 

following a pioneering trial that showed the AV 

initiative led to significantly better outcomes for 

patients having heart attacks by having stents 

inserted within 56 minutes. 

• The use of the life-saving rapid sequence intubation 

technique by MICA paramedics was expanded statewide 

following a landmark study in Ballarat, Bendigo, 

Geelong and the metropolitan region on patients 

with traumatic brain injuries resulting in improvement 

of 13 percent returning to independent living. 

• Single responder MICA vehicles were introduced 

in Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong, with Morwell 

operational from July 2010, providing speed, 

flexibility and the highest level of care. 

• Negotiations for an Enterprise Bargaining 

Agreement (EBA) with paramedic staff were 

successfully concluded. 

• MICA paramedics from our Urban Search and 

Rescue (USAR) unit were deployed to assist in 

the humanitarian response to an earthquake and 

tsunami in Samoa, in an operation coordinated 

by the Federal Government. 

• The one millionth AV membership was taken out 

during the year. Membership increased by more 

than 10,000 to 1,001,529 (on 30 June 2010), covering 

more than 2.1 million people across Victoria. 

• The Health, Safety and Wellbeing Department was 

restructured, with additional resources, reflecting 

AV’s commitment to the welfare of its staff. This 

reinforced the strong focus on preventing injuries 

and helping injured paramedics return to work. 

Equivalent full time staff 2009-2010 

2009 – 2010 Total 2008 – 2009 Total 

Operational Ambulance Paramedics 2,143 2,059 

Operational MICA Paramedics 416 403 

Operational Management & Support 285 276 

Managerial & Administrative Staff 338 321 

Grand Total 3,182 3,059 

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• We initiated the transfer of AV’s five communications 

centres in the rural regions into one centre, managed 

by the Emergency Services Telecommunications 

Authority (ESTA). The first stage in providing a more 

consistent and reliable service for callers in the rural 

regions was completed on 30 June 2010 when the 

Wangaratta operations centre transitioned to the 

new centre in Ballarat. This centre will progressively 

replace the existing operation centres in Bendigo, 

Geelong, Ballarat, Wangaratta and Morwell, providing a 

significant improvement in safety, service and security. 

Our Emergency Management Unit continued to plan, 

prepare and respond to major incidents, including being 

involved in multi-agency emergency exercises and 

training staff to ensure our skills are up to date. This 

extensive program enables us to test and refine our 

response plans, operations and communications, and to 

ensure we work effectively with our emergency services 

partners. It was pleasing to note that the Bushfire 

Royal Commission did not identify AV shortcomings 

in its Interim findings and when the preceding days of 

extreme heat, driving demand increases to 70 per cent 

in urban areas are taken into consideration, this was 

a significant endorsement of our activities related to 

emergency planning and management. 

As part of this, we maintained a CBR (Chemical, 

Biological and Radiological) response capacity that 

rates alongside the highest standard internationally. 

During the year we continued to focus on our high 

clinical standards. In 2009-2010, AV reviewed about 

seven per cent of total workload in the clinical 

indicators and limited occurrence screening areas, 

including: 

• All high-risk low-frequency events, including drugassisted 

intubations 

• Re-attendances to patients (at the same address) 

within 24 hours 

• All cases where patients died in AV’s care 

• Care and outcome of cardiac arrest patients 

• Management of traumatic and cardiac pain in adults 

• Time at scene and hospital destination for potential 

major trauma patients 

• Non-emergency cases where emergency ambulance 

assistance was required 

• Random audits of the Referral Service. 

From this group, 393 were independently reviewed via 

the Clinical Review Process (CRP). In total 880 cases 

were assessed in the process with the higher severity for 

potential or actual patient harm cases being assessed by 

the Sentinel Events Committee. Other CRP cases were 

identified via peer review of Patient Care Records (PCRs), 

complaints or were self-reported by paramedics. 

AV also maintains a Medical Advisory Committee, 

which includes senior medical specialists from the 

health sector. This committee provides advice and 

recommendations on clinical standards and clinical 

practice, with a focus on continuous quality improvement 

and evidence-based standards and practice. 

We continued our groundbreaking pre-hospital 

research, which often leads to improvements in the care 

we provide patients, participating in a range of research 

studies during the year. We also continued our ongoing 

involvement in three quality assurance registries: 

• The Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry 

(VACAR), which is managed by AV and collects data 

on all cardiac arrest patients attended by ambulance 

across the state. 

• A registry coordinated by Turning Point Drug and 

Alcohol Centre, which collects data on all non-fatal 

drug-related AV attendances in Melbourne. 

• The Victorian State Trauma Outcomes Registry 

(VSTORM), which is managed by Monash University 

and collects data on all major trauma patients in 

Victoria in order to monitor the performance of the 

state’s trauma system. 


AV’s non-emergency transport of patients in the 

metropolitan and rural regions continued to grow. 

There was particularly strong growth in clinic car 

activity with 76,333 patients (not in need of clinical 

care or monitoring en route) transported in clinic cars, 

5,860 more patients than the previous year. 

As part of AV’s charter to educate the community in 

what to do in the event of a medical emergency, we 

continued to provide programs to a wide range of 

people, from school children to the elderly. 

In schools, we conducted three programs: for younger 

primary school children, older primary school children 

and secondary school children. Each program is 

tailored with appropriate content for each age group, 

and the children are given take-home packs, so that 

messages get into the home, reaching parents and 

extended families. 

For older Victorians, we continued to distribute the 

4 Steps For Life DVD/video-based self-education 

package, which has proved highly successful. 

Primarily aimed at over-50s, the package goes 

step-by-step through what to do when someone 

has a cardiac arrest. Formal evaluations show the 

program is effective and well supported. 

We can report that in Victoria, patients who collapse 

in cardiac arrest where the arrest is witnessed by a 

bystander will receive bystander CPR in more than 

50 per cent of cases. This is a significant increase 

on our historical level and is a major part of our 

improvements to survival rates of these patients. 

We were also active in culturally and linguistically 

diverse communities to provide general presentations 

about our role, and how people can react when they 

need us. 

Our relationship with the Aboriginal community 

continued to strengthen during the year through 

the ongoing work of AV’s Aboriginal Project Officer 

and Education Officer. This work included education 

programs for school aged children, tailored for 

Aboriginal communities, and delivered by the AV 

Community Education Department and paramedics. 

A central aspect of AV’s relationship with communities 

during the year came via our 70 auxiliaries, which are 

dedicated volunteer committees that support local 

ambulance branches within rural regions. The state’s 

ambulance auxiliaries date back to 1918 and today 

have more than 800 members. 

A prominent annual event for AV was again the 

Community Heroes Awards, which attracted widespread 

media coverage and helped reinforce messages that 

promote first aid and promote community involvement 

in assisting paramedics and patients. 

Held at Parliament House in November 2009, the event 

recognised 15 members of the public from across the 

state for their selfless actions at medical emergencies. 

It was the tenth year of the awards, with 150 members of 

the public recognised for their efforts in the past decade. 

AV also continued its partnerships with organisations 

such as the Asthma Foundation and National Heart 

Foundation, which allow us to share educational and 

research material and promote each other’s messages 

in the community. 

As well as educating people on the principles of first 

aid, particularly CPR, we continued to install and 

maintain automated defibrillators in public areas, 

as well as promote the purchase of these devices to 

places such as golf clubs, community organisations 

and private businesses. These devices are relatively 

inexpensive, and save lives. 

These machines are used to shock the heart in the event 

of a cardiac arrest, and can be used by someone with 

little or no experience. AV has established a Registry 

for public automated defibrillators to allow these to be 

identified at the time of a ‘000’ call and advice given to 

bystanders on their use prior to ambulance arrival. With 

more people performing CPR due to courses such as 4 

Steps for Life, the defibrillators provide the next step in 

helping people survive. 

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Research 

AV promotes and participates in high quality research 

within a rigorous research governance framework, 

with the aim of improving patient care. AV is committed 

to a collaborative approach to research, and works 

closely with a range of other service providers and 

research institutions. 

During 2009-2010, AV participated in 39 research 

studies, 32 of which are continuing. AV also has 

ongoing involvement in three quality assurance 

registries: the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest 

Registry (VACAR), Turning Point Drug and Alcohol 

Centre – Non-Fatal Overdose Registry and the 

Victorian State Trauma Outcomes Registry (VSTORM). 

In addition, two AV Research Fellows are continuing 

clinical research in the high priority areas of out-ofhospital 

cardiac arrest and trauma. 

Research highlights of the year include: 

Eleven publications in peer reviewed journals: 

• Kerr D, Kelly AM, Dietze P, Jolley D and Barger 

B. Randomised controlled trial comparing 

the effectiveness and safety of intranasal and 

intramuscular naloxone for the treatment of heroin 

overdose. Addiction. 2009;104, 2067–2074. 

• Chan EW, Taylor SE, Marriott JL and Barger 

B. Bringing patients’ own medications into an 

emergency department by ambulance: effect on 

prescribing accuracy when these patients are 

admitted to hospital. MJA 2009; 191 (7): 374-377. 

• Hutchison AW, Malaiapan Y, Jarvie I, Barger B, 

Watkins E, Braitberg G, Kambourakis T, Cameron JD 

and Meredith IT. Prehospital 12-Lead ECG to Triage 

ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction and Emergency 

Department Activation of the Infarct Team Significantly 

Improves Door-to-Balloon Times: Ambulance 

Victoria and MonashHEART Acute Myocardial 

Infarction (MonAMI) 12-Lead ECGProject. Circulation 

Cardiovascular Interventions 2009;2:528-534. 

• Bernard SA, Smith K, Cameron P, Masci K, Taylor 

DM, D. Cooper J, Kelly A-M and Silvester W for 

the Rapid Infusion of Cold Hartmanns (RICH) 

Investigators. Induction of Therapeutic Hypothermia 

by Paramedics After Resuscitation From Out-of- 

Hospital Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest: 

A Randomized Controlled Trial Circulation 

2010;122;737-742. 

• Bray JE, Coughlan K, Barger B and Bladin C. 

Paramedic Diagnosis of Stroke: Examining Long- 

Term Use of the Melbourne Ambulance Stroke Screen 

(MASS) in the Field. Stroke 2010;41;1363-1366. 

• Dennekamp M, Akram M, Abramson MJ, Tonkin 

A, Sim MR, Fridman M and Erbas B. Outdoor Air 

Pollution as a Trigger for Out-of-hospital cardiac 

arrests. Epidemiology 2010;21: 494–500. 

• Zalstein S, Danne P, Taylor D, Cameron P, McLellan 

S, Fitzgerald M, Kossmann T, Patrick I, Walker T, 

Crameri J, Bailey M and Magilton G. The Victorian 

Major Trauma Transfer Study. Injury 2010;41: 102–109 

• Bernard S, Nguyen V, Cameron P, Masci K, 

Fitzgerald M, Cooper J, Walker T, Myles P, 

Murray L, Taylor D, Smith K, Patrick I, Edington J, 

Bacon A, Rosenfeld J and Judson R. Prehospital 

rapid sequence intubation improves functional 

outcome for patients with severe traumatic brain 

injury: A randomized, controlled trial. In Press. 

Annals of Surgery 2010. 

• Cox S, Smith K, Currell A, Harriss L, Barger B and 

Cameron P. Differentiation of confirmed major 

trauma patients and potential major trauma patients 

using pre-hospital trauma triage criteria. In Press. 

Injury 2010. 

• Deasy C, Bernard SA, Cameron P, Jaison A, 

Smith K, Harriss L, Walker T, Masci K and 

Tibballs J. Epidemiology of paediatric out-of-hospital 

cardiac arrest in Melbourne, Australia. In Press. 

Resuscitation 2010. 

• Jennings PA, Cameron P and Bernard S. 

Epidemiology of prehospital pain: an opportunity 

for improvement. In Press. Emerg Med J 2010. 

Two abstracts submitted to the International 

Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM), 

9-12 June 2010, Singapore were awarded prizes. 

• ‘Best Paper for Emergency Prehospital Care’ 

research prize awarded to the Janet Bray (VACAR 

Senior Research Fellow) for abstract titled: ‘Has 

Introducing 400 Compressions Before Mouth- 

To-Mouth Improved Rates Of Bystander CPR And 

Outcomes In Out-Of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest?’ 

• ‘Merit Award’ to Conor Deasy (VACAR/Monash 

University PhD student) for an abstract titled: 

‘Epidemiology of paediatric out-of-hospital 

cardiac arrest in Melbourne, Australia’. 


Environmental Commitment 

AV recognises that the organisation’s everyday activities 

have an impact on the environment and we are 

committed to understanding and improving the overall 

environmental performance of our organisation. 

ResourceSmart 

AV completed the ResourceSmart Government program 

in 2008. This program, developed by Sustainability 

Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and 

Environment, is designed to assist statutory agencies 

achieve Victorian Government policy commitments 

by improving their environmental performance. 

Through the program, AV developed a two-year 

action plan that is currently being implemented. 

Data Measurement and Reporting 

To measure and evaluate our environmental 

achievements and to meet evolving reporting 

obligations, AV has implemented a system to capture 

environmental data and prepare it for reporting using 

the national greenhouse emissions factors published 

by the Australian Department of Climate Change and 

Energy Efficiency. 

In 2009-2010, AV is reporting environmental performance 

publicly for the first time. The data captured for reporting 

includes energy, water, paper and fuel usage. 

Reducing Energy Consumption 

The integration of environmental design aspects 

into new ambulance branches and buildings is a key 

aspect of reducing energy needs. New branch design 

guidelines will be introduced in the second half of 2010 

and will incorporate further enhancements to support 

a reduction in energy and water use. A strategy is 

being developed to address energy consumption in 

existing branches. 

Renewable Energy 

AV aims to reduce emissions from energy consumption 

by increasing the component of accredited 

GreenPower purchased to 25 per cent by 2011. 

Maximising Recycling 

AV is committed to reducing waste to landfill through 

its waste management programs. This year AV has 

implemented full recycling programs at large office 

locations state wide. 

Reducing Water 

AV is working towards reducing water consumption at 

all locations. All new sites incorporate water-saving 

products such as low-flow showerheads and dualflush 

toilets and, where appropriate, water tanks are 

installed. A program is also being developed to ensure 

all existing sites have water-saving products installed 

to reduce water consumption, for implementation in 

the second half of 2010. 

Communicating with Staff 

We believe that educating and empowering our 

staff is key to improving our overall environmental 

performance. During the year we implemented a 

quarterly email bulletin to staff aimed at communicating 

our achievements, highlighting initiatives and providing 

a medium for staff to communicate local environmental 

achievements and issues. 

14 



Environmental Performance 

Environmental Indicator Unit of measure 2009-2010 

Office Paper i 

Reams per FTE ii 

Total Reams 

Average recycled content 

Water iii 

Consumption per FTE 

Total consumption 

Transport iv 


Total Consumption 

Energy (Electricity & Gas) v 


Total Consumption 

Green Power Purchased 

Reams per FTE 

Reams 

% 

KL per FTE 

KL 

GJ per FTE 

GJ 

GJ per FTE 

GJ 

% 

4.5 

14,363 

11.5% 

8.4 

26,496 

77.4 

244,793 

10.8 

32,291 

7% 

Greenhouse Emissions vi Unit of measure 2009-2010 

Emissions from Energy 

Emissions from Transport 

tCO2-e 

tCO2-e 

9,733 

18,073 

Total AV Greenhouse emissions tCO2-e 27,806 vii 

Notes: 

i) One ream is equivalent to 500 sheets of A4 paper. Recycled content is the average percentage of recycled content purchased. 

This does not include reams of pre-printed corporate stationery purchased. 

ii) 

iii) 

iv) 

Full Time Equivalent staff as at the end of the financial year. 

Metered potable water used for all AV sites including offices and branches. Consumption for sites that are co-located with 

hospitals or other emergency service organisations is estimated as data is unavailable. 

Transport incorporates all AV vehicles and air fleet. This includes the operational response fleet as well as administration vehicles. 

v) Energy use incorporates both electricity and natural gas consumption for AV sites including offices and branches. Consumption 

for sites that are co-located with hospitals or other emergency service organisations is estimated as data is unavailable. 

vi) 

Greenhouse gas emissions are reported using the scope one, two and three National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) factors 

published by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. This is reported as Tonnes of CO2 equivalent. 

vii) The total Greenhouse gas emissions figure incorporates the appropriate offset for the purchase of Greenpower. 


Governance 

Ambulance Service Victoria – operating as Ambulance 

Victoria (AV) - was established on 1 July 2008 to provide 

statewide ambulance services by amalgamating 

the Metropolitan Ambulance Services (MAS), Rural 

Ambulance Services (RAV) and Alexandra and District 

Ambulance Service (ADAS). The newly formed AV 

is bound by the Ambulance Services Act 1986, as 

were the former MAS, RAV and ADAS services to: 

• respond rapidly to requests for help in a 

medical emergency 

• provide specialised medical skills to maintain life 

and to reduce injuries in emergency situations 

and while transporting patients 

• provide specialised transport facilities to move 

people requiring emergency medical treatment 

• provide services for which specialised medical 

or transport skills are necessary 

• foster public education in first aid. 

AV reports to the Minister for Health, the Honourable 

Daniel Andrews, MP, through the Department of Health. 

Appointed by the Governor in Council on the 

recommendation of the Minister, the Board of Directors 

is responsible for the provision of comprehensive and 

efficient ambulance services to the people of Victoria. 

While organisational management is vested in the 

Chief Executive Officer and the executive team, 

the Board of Directors is accountable to the State 

Government and Minister for Health, for the 

performance of AV. The primary focus of the Board of 

Directors is the establishment of the strategic direction, 

governance and policies, together with monitoring the 

performance and operating efficiency of AV. 

The Board of Directors operates in accordance with 

its Policies for Board Governance and the By-Laws 

AV, ensuring AV meets its statutory obligations 

and, in doing so, meets appropriate standards of 

accountability and propriety. 

Declarations of pecuniary interest 

All Board of Directors and senior managers are 

required to lodge and update declarations of pecuniary 

interest in respect of their responsibilities to AV. 

Committees 

The Board of Directors operates four Board 

committees to support its functions along with 

one advisory committee. 

The Corporate Governance and Remuneration 

Committee advises the Board of Directors on 

governance policies and procedures that enable the 

AV Board of Directors to meet its policy and legislative 

accountabilities and fulfil its role and responsibilities. 

It also oversees the development and monitors the 

implementation of sound human resource management, 

employment and employee relations policies. 

The committee’s purpose is to: 

• advise the Board of Directors on governance 

policies and procedures that ensure the AV Board 

of Directors fulfils its role and responsibilities 

• ensure the development and monitoring of sound 

human resource management, employment, 

professional standards and employee relations policies. 

Membership: Jan Moffatt (Chair), Marika McMahon, 

Kevin Boote and John McQuilten. 

The Finance Committee facilitates the achievement of 

the AV Strategic Plan through the formulation of sound 

financial policy advice and strategy, and oversights 

financial management systems to ensure policy and 

legislative compliance, minimise risk and ensure longterm 

viability of AV through organisation-wide risk 

assessment and management culture. 

16 




• promote the achievement of the Strategic Plan 

through the formulation and implementation of 

sound financial policies, strategies and systems 

• oversight financial management systems to address 

identified risks and ensure the long-term financial 

viability and development of AV 

• oversight the development and management of 

the annual budget. 

Membership: Claire Higgins (Chair), Marika McMahon, 

John Frame and Rhonda Whitfield. 

The Audit Committee reports to and assists the Board 

in fulfilling its accountabilities and responsibilities 

in relation to AV financial reporting, internal control 

structure, risk management systems, and internal 

and external audit functions. In doing so, it is the 

responsibility of the committee to maintain free and 

open communication between the committee, internal 

auditors, external auditors and AV management. 

In discharging its responsibilities, the committee 

is empowered to investigate any matter brought to 

its attention with full access to all books, records, 

facilities and personnel of AV (through the Chief 

Executive Officer), and has the authority to engage 

independent, expert advisers as it determines 

necessary to carry out its duties. The committee 

has the right to seek explanations and additional 

information from AV management. 

Membership: John Frame (Chair), Marika McMahon, 

Claire Higgins and Jan Moffatt. 

The Quality Committee ensures the development, 

implementation and effectiveness of the AV Quality 

Management System and promotes the development 

of an organisation-wide culture to achieve the 

systematic management of quality improvement. 


• ensure the development of a Quality Management 

System for AV 

• monitor the implementation and effectiveness of 

the AV Quality Management System 

• promote the development of an organisation-wide 

culture to achieve the systematic management of 

quality improvement 

• ensure the development of appropriate and 

contemporary policies, strategies, standards and 

guidelines, relating to clinical care, paramedic 

training/education and clinical research projects 

• monitor the clinical performance and clinical risk 

management processes of AV and identify key areas 

that require attention or reform 

• facilitate and encourage clinical research within 

AV and on a collaborative basis with other agencies 

both locally and nationally. 

Membership: Marika McMahon (Chair), Rhonda 

Whitfield, George Braitberg, Kevin Boote, Alison Teese 

and John McQuilten. 

Community Advisory Committee 

As part of Ambulance Victoria’s strategic development, 

extensive reviews and planning has and continues 

to include the processes involving collaboration 

and consultation with the community. Community 

engagement is a fundamental component of ensuring 

Ambulance Victoria provides a service to benefit all 

communities across Victoria. 

There are significant avenues via partnerships, 

consultation and transitory reference groups between 

Ambulance Victoria and the wider community. 

These approaches facilitate contemporary and varied 

engagement between community groups, individuals 

and our service. Therefore, these successful and 

established avenues will continue to be built upon 

rather than a single entity of a community advisory 

committee. These processes have and will continue 

to enable Ambulance Victoria to reach its next stage 

of community engagement and health focused 

outcomes for the community we service. 


Members of the Board of Directors 

Marika McMahon 

Marika McMahon was previously a member of the 

RAV Board. She practises as a lawyer in Bendigo, 

specialising in family law as a partner at the law firm 

O’Farrell Robertson McMahon. She is also the current 

Chair of Bendigo Health Care Group and is a Director 

of the Bendigo United Friendly Society, Central Victoria 

Friendly Society and a member of various rural and 

regional Committees. 

Kevin Boote 

Kevin Boote was previously a member of and then 

Chair of the ADAS board. He has extensive experience 

in the Fitness Industry, Project Management and 

Human Relations Management. He is a past President 

of the Council of the Alexandra Secondary College. 

He has also served on the Boards of Dame Pattie 

Menzies Centre, Murrindindi Development Board, 

and the Goulburn Regional Youth Committee. 

John Frame 

John Frame was previously a member of the MAS 

board. He brings extensive experience in emergency 

service management and the security industry, having 

been a member of Victoria Police from 1961, rising to 

the rank of Deputy Commissioner (Operations) prior 

to his retirement in 1993. He is also Deputy Chair of 

the Board of Barwon Health, a Deputy Chairperson of 

the Police Appeals Board and a past president of the 

Lions Club of Lara. 

Rhonda Whitfield 

Rhonda Whitfield was previously a member of the 

MAS board. She has several years experience as a 

non-executive director on a range of boards coupled 

with extensive commercial experience gained at 

large national and international corporations. 

She has qualifications in corporate governance, 

business management, information technology and 

telecommunications, and alternative dispute resolution 

after initially qualifying as a registered nurse. 

Jan Moffatt 

Jan Moffatt was previously a member of the MAS 

Board. She is a solicitor with Melbourne city firm 

Donaldson Trumble and has extensive experience 

as a legal specialist in the health sector, including 

in the provision of legal services to coronial 

investigations, clinical issues and litigation. 

Alison Teese 

Alison Teese was previously a RAV board member. 

She has expertise in the environment, strategic and 

statutory planning and management in rural Australia. 

Ms Teese has extensive experience on Government 

Advisory Councils at both State and National level. 

She has a strong interest in health in rural and regional 

communities, and in regional development. She is a 

Director of a Regional Water Authority and is a partner 

in a farm business in Northern Central Victoria. 

George Braitberg 

George Braitberg brings to the board extensive 

experience in emergency medicine and the Australian 

hospital system. Professor Braitberg is a leading 

expert in toxicology. He is a Professor of Emergency 

Medicine at Monash University and the Director 

of Emergency Medicine at Southern Health. He 

is also the Chair of the Overseas Trained Doctors 

Credentialing Committee, Australasian College of 

Emergency Medicine and has been a member of 

the MAS Medical Standards Committee. 

Claire Higgins 

Claire Higgins has had over 20 years finance, 

governance and management experience with 

major corporations. She has a Commerce Degree 

from Melbourne University and is a Fellow Certified 

Practising Accountant. Ms Higgins is the current 

Chairperson of the Victorian State Emergency Service 

and Deputy Chair of the Country Fire Authority. 

The experience she has gained through her nine-year 

term on the Board of Barwon Health and her expertise 

in financial reporting and corporate governance are 

well suited to the current needs of Ambulance Victoria. 

Her appointment to the Board of Ambulance Victoria 

aligns with the serving of her final term on the Board 

of Barwon Health. 

John McQuilten 

John McQuilten is a self-employed consultant. 

His areas of expertise include management, corporate 

governance, industrial relations and regional 

development. He is a former member of the Victorian 

Legislative Council (Ballarat), serving in this role and 

on various associated committees between 1999 and 

2006. He is currently the Chair of the risk committee 

for the Victorian Regional Channel Authority, a council 

member for the University of Ballarat and recently 

appointed to the Australian Land Care Council. 

18 



Meeting attendance 

Eligible to attend 

Attended 

Marika McMahon 11 11 

Kevin Boote 11 11 

John Frame 11 11 

Rhonda Whitfield 11 10 

Jan Moffatt 11 9 

Claire Higgins 11 8 

Alison Teese 11 10 

George Braitberg 11 8 

John McQuilten 9 9 

Management structure 

(As of 30 June 2010) 

Minister for Health 

The Honourable Daniel Andrews, MP 

Department of Health 

Board of Directors 

Marika McMahon (Chair) 

John Frame 

Rhonda Whitfield 

George Braitberg 

Claire Higgins 

Jan Moffatt 

Kevin Boote 

Alison Teese 

John McQuilten 


Greg Sassella 

Executive Group 

General Manager, Regional Services 

General Manager, Specialist Services 

General Manager, Strategy & Planning 

General Manager, Finance & Corporate Services 

Chief Information Officer 

General Manager, People and Community 

*General Manager, Quality & Education Services 

*(Acting General Manager, Quality & Education 

Services till December 2009) 

Tony Walker 

Mark Rogers 

Alex Currell 

Rosalinda Polivka 

Cameron Crampton 

Susan Smith 

Angelia Dixon 

Dave Garner 


The Executive Group 


Greg Sassella 

Responsible to the Board of Directors for the 

overall management and performance of AV. 

General Manager, Regional Services 

Tony Walker 

Responsible for high-quality statewide road 

emergency response, with a strong focus on 

managing and developing paramedics. 

General Manager, Specialist Services 

Mark Rogers 

Responsible for emergency ambulance and the state’s 

air ambulance services, including communications 

systems, staff, locations of teams, design of service 

delivery, resources and response time performance, 

and Adult Retrieval Victoria. 

General Manager, Quality & Education Services 

Angelia Dixon 

Responsible for service quality, professional standards, 

operational staff clinical training and clinical standards, 

the clinical performance of AV and monitoring the 

clinical performance of its service providers. 

General Manager, Strategy & Planning 

Alex Currell 

General Manager, Finance & Corporate Services 

Rosalinda Polivka 

Responsible for AV’s financial and management 

accounting services, commercial services, legal, 

purchasing and procurement, risk and business continuity 

management, property services, business support 

services, administration, fleet, payroll administration, 

and the Membership Subscription Scheme. 

Chief Information Officer 

Cameron Crampton 

Responsible for information technology and 

communications infrastructure and services; 

information management; business intelligence; 

records management and freedom of information. 

General Manager, People & Community 

Susan Smith 

Responsible for overseeing Human Resources, 

including recruitment, remuneration and benefits 

and EEO; Health Safety and Wellbeing, including 

WorkCover and Return to Work; Employee Relations 

management and welfare frameworks, incorporating 

the Victorian Ambulance Counselling Unit (VACU), 

Peer Support and Chaplaincy programs; Corporate 

Communications, including Marketing, Community 

Education and Engagement, Organisational 

Development and Organisational Transformation 

and Alignment functions. 

Responsible for corporate and operational strategic 

planning, research, data analysis and data governance. 

20 



Appendix A - Statement of Priorities 2009-2010 

Status at 30 June 2010 

Strategic Priorities 

Strategic Priority Deliverables Due Date Status 

Improve the efficiency 

and capacity of response 

resources to meet expected 

growth in demand 

1. Restructure of metropolitan MICA road 

response, converting the existing 16 MICA 

units and 4 single responders to 8 MICA 

units, 4 MICA Peak Period Units and 14 

MICA single responders 

2. Relocation of 11 metropolitan teams 

currently operating at temporary 

locations to permanent locations 

3. Introduction of 4 new regional MICA 

single responders (Ballarat, Bendigo, 

Geelong, Latrobe Valley) 

4. Additional Ambulance Paramedics 

operational at Kilmore and Woodend 

5. New air ambulance helicopter based 

at Warrnambool (HEMS 4) operational 

Jun 10 

1. Roll out of MICA restructure due to be 

completed by Sep 10 

2. Work is continuing on the relocations, with 

completion subject to property acquisition 

and construction processes; there are some 

dependencies on the MICA restructure, with 

SRU conversion freeing space for ALS teams 

3. 3 Rural SRUs (Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong) 

commenced Jan 10. Morwell SRU 

commenced in July 2010 

4. Additional paramedics now operating 

from Kilmore and Woodend 

5. HEMS 4 became operational in Jul 09 

Identify future emergency 

response resource 

requirements in rural 

Victoria 

1. Rural planning methodology reviewed 

and updated 

2. Priorities for future development of 

rural emergency ambulance services 

agreed with DH 

Dec 09 

Draft Emergency Operations Plan to 

2014-2015 competed and submitted 

to DH for consideration, including updated 

rural planning methodology and priorities 

for development 

Improve the quality and 

consistency of call taking 

and dispatch in rural 

Victoria 

1. Plan for transition of rural call taking 

and dispatch to the ESTA Ballarat 

Communications Centre finalised 

2. Transition of call taking & dispatch 

from one AV call centre to ESTA 

without degradation or interruption 

to service delivery 

Jun 10 

1. Transition plan completed 

2. Emergency call-taking and dispatch 

transitioned from AV Wangaratta call 

centre to ESTA in June 10; Morwell, 

Bendigo and Geelong transition to 

ESTA to follow in 2010-11 

Provide appropriate 

facilities for paramedics 

Refurbishment of ambulance branches with 

a high priority requirement for improvement 

(Anglesea, Apollo Bay, Avoca, Ballarat, 

Gisborne, Hamilton, Mirboo North, 

Timboon, Woodend, Hastings, Pakenham) 

Jun 10 

Branch refurbishments completed at 

Anglesea, Apollo Bay, Avoca, Ballarat, 

Gisborne, Hamilton and Timboon. 

Remainder due for completion by end of 

2010 Calendar year. 

Ensure appropriate 

industrial agreement 

is in place 

Finalise and implement a new Enterprise 

Agreement to replace the MX Award 

Jun 10 

A new agreement came into effect on 

16 November 2009 (with a variation 

coming into effect on 31 March 2010) 

Consolidate AV 

organisational development 

Transition from the interim organisational 

structure to an integrated AV structure 

Jun 10 

All Executive appointments made and 

Divisional structures finalised (except 

Quality & Education Services); ongoing 

consultation with staff and relevant Unions 

undertaken throughout the process. 


Performance Priorities 

2009/2010 Target 2009/2010 Actual 

Timely Response 

Proportion of emergency (Code 1) incidents responded to within 15 minutes 1 85% 80.7% 

Proportion of emergency (Code 1) incidents responded to within 15 

minutes in centres with more than 7,500 population 1 90% 86.9% 

CERT arrival prior to ambulance where CERT is dispatched 85% 85.7% 

Quality and Safety 

Audited emergency cases meeting clinical practice standards 95% 97.9% 

Audited non-emergency cases meeting clinical practice standards 94% 98.7% 

Audited CERT attended cases meeting clinical practice standards 90% 96.2% 

Proportion of patients experiencing severe cardiac and traumatic pain 

whose level of pain is reduced significantly 2 90% 91.1% 

Proportion of patients satisfied or very satisfied with quality of care provided 

by paramedics 

95% 98% 

Percentage of adult VF/VT cardiac arrest patients with vital signs at hospital 3 44% 52.8% 

Percentage of adult VF/VT cardiac arrest patients surviving to hospital discharge 3 18% 25.8% 

Activity 

Total number of metro emergency road cases 319,000 330,741 

Total number of rural emergency road cases 4 127,000 128,890 

Total number of metro non-emergency road cases 222,800 226,091 

Total number of rural non-emergency road cases 4 56,600 56,422 

Total number of Statewide emergency air cases 2,650 3,199 

Total number of Statewide non-emergency air cases 4,100 3,491 

Total number of Statewide pensions & concession 

card holder emergency cases 5 198,600 219,832 

Total number of Statewide pensions & concession 

card holder non-emergency cases 5 174,000 182,750 

Percentage of 000 callers receiving health advice or 

service from another health provider as an alternative 

to emergency ambulance response (metropolitan region) 

6% 8.0% 

Notes: 

1) Based on Computer Aided Dispatch system data for Metropolitan and Patient Care Record data for rural. 

2) Adult patients (15 years of age or older) with an initial pain score greater than 7 and a reduction in score of 2 or more. 

3) Cardiac arrest excluding those witnessed by a paramedic occurring in patients 16 years of older where resuscitation is 

attempted and the arrest rhythm on first ECG assessment was Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) or Ventricular Tachycardia (VT). 

4) Counting method updated for AV-wide consistently, and differs from the 2008/2009 reporting to DH and previous RAV reporting. 

5) The charge class assigned to patients transported is subject to change during the period when an account is being finalised, and 

significant movements between charge classes occur over a period of approximately four months from the time of the transport. 

The charge class breakdown for 2009-2010 has therefore been estimated. 

22 



Appendix B - Statistical Summary 

2009 - 2010 

Statistical Summary 2009-2010 1 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 2006-2007 2005-2006 

Road Incidents (Metropolitan Region) 

Emergency Operations 

Code 1 

Code 2 

Code 3 

184,439 

106,671 

39,631 

169,263 

102,959 

40,780 

167,447 

103,279 

38,778 

179,686 

95,338 

23,525 

166,040 

84,916 

22,428 

Total Emergency Road Incidents 330,741 313,002 309,504 298,549 273,384 

Non-Emergency Operations (Code 3) 

3rd Party Stretcher Services 

Clinic Transport Services 

145,400 

80,691 

145,753 

74,513 

143,041 

69,955 

136,592 

73,206 

134,144 

67,355 

Total Non-Emergency Road Incidents 226,091 220,266 212,996 209,798 201,499 

Total Metropolitan Road Incidents 556,832 533,268 522,500 508,347 474,883 

Road Incidents (Rural Regions) 

Code 1 

Code 2 

Code 3 

3rd party (Code 3) 

76,592 

52,298 

37,202 

19,220 

70,538 

50,070 

42,046 

18,501 

60,185 

58,493 

39,837 

21,220 

52,760 

60,851 

35,508 

16,925 

52,644 

54,391 

35,816 

13,110 

Total Rural Road Incidents 185,312 181,155 179,735 166,044 155,961 

Road Incidents (All Regions) 

Code 1 

Code 2 

Code 3 

261,031 

158,969 

322,144 

239,801 

153,029 

321,593 

227,632 

161,772 

312,831 

232,446 

156,189 

285,756 

218,684 

139,307 

272,853 

Total Road Incidents 742,144 714,423 702,235 674,391 630,844 

Air Incidents (All Regions) 

Fixed Wing - Emergency 2 

Fixed Wing - Non-Emergency 

1,135 

3,491 

729 

4,041 

684 

3,734 

660 

3,884 

673 

4,092 

Total Fixed Wing Incidents 4,626 4,770 4,418 4,544 4,765 

Helicopters 

Helicopter (HEMS 1 Essendon) 

580 

Helicopter (HEMS 2 Latrobe Valley) 

456 

Helicopter (HEMS 3 Bendigo) 

384 

Helicopter (HEMS 4 Warrnambool) 3 

177 

Helicopter (HEMS 5 Retrieval) 4 

467 

Helicopter (Docklands) 5 

Total Helicopter Incidents (All Emergency) 2,064 1,759 1,650 1,681 1,799 

Emergency Air Incidents 3,199 2,488 2,334 2,341 2,472 

Non Emergency Air Incidents 3,491 4,041 3,734 3,884 4,092 

Total Air Incidents 6,690 6,529 6,068 6,225 6,564 

674 

491 

432 

136 

26 

707 

452 

437 

54 

769 

450 

423 

39 

868 

471 

460 


Statistical Summary 2009-2010 continued 

2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 2006-2007 2005-2006 

Adult Retrieval 6 

Cases handled 3,038 3,030 

Retrievals 7 

Road retrievals - paramedic only 

Road retrievals - doctor & paramedic 

146 

145 

457 

160 

Total road retrievals 291 617 

Air retrievals - paramedic only 937 794 

Air retrievals - doctor & paramedic 284 173 

Total air retrievals 1,221 967 

Total adult retrievals 1,512 1,584 

Code 1 Response Time 8 

Percentage of responses within 15 minutes 80.7% 82.4% 82.0% 85.7% 87.3% 

Centres with population > 7,500 9 86.9% 88.7% 87.9% n/a n/a 

Patients Transported 

Road transports (Metropolitan Region) 

Emergency Operations 

Non-Emergency Operations Stretcher 

Total Stretcher 

Non-Emergency Clinic Transport Services 

242,745 

137,259 

380,004 

76,333 

227,944 

138,124 

366,068 

70,473 

225,522 

138,969 

364,491 

66,184 

217,066 

132,883 

349,949 

69,368 

202,143 

130,341 

332,484 

63,826 

Total Metropolitan region 456,337 436,541 430,675 419,317 396,310 

Road Transports (Rural Region) 

Total Rural regions 154,901 150,815 150,494 139,894 131,298 

Total Patients Transported by Road 611,238 587,356 581,169 559,211 527,608 

Air Transports (All Regions) 

Fixed Wing transports 4,383 4,606 4,194 4,432 4,628 

Helicopters 

Helicopter (HEMS 1 Essendon) 

Helicopter (HEMS 2 Latrobe Valley) 

Helicopter (HEMS 3 Bendigo) 

Helicopter (HEMS 4 Warrnambool) 3 

Helicopter (HEMS 5 Retrieval) 4 

Helicopter (Docklands) 5 

Total Helicopter 

393 

359 

315 

135 

393 

1,595 

488 

394 

369 

117 

19 

1,387 

510 

354 

326 

50 

1,240 

557 

352 

330 

35 

1,274 

573 

366 

332 

1,271 

Total Air Transports 5,978 5,993 5,434 5,706 5,899 

Total Patient Transports 617,216 593,349 586,603 564,917 533,507 

24 




Road Patients Transported (All Regions) - Charging Categories 10 

Compensable Transports 

Veterans’ Affairs 

Transport Accident Commission 

Workcover 

Hospital Transfers 

Ordinary 

Subscriber 

Total Compensable Road Transports 

Community Service Obligation Road Transports 

2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008 2006-2007 2005-2006 

53,752 

11,882 

4,373 

25,074 

50,485 

93,173 

238,738 

372,500 

54,497 

12,117 

4,309 

24,946 

47,473 

88,443 

231,786 

355,570 

56,019 

11,940 

4,658 

24,368 

45,674 

85,533 

228,192 

352,978 

55,867 

11,792 

4,601 

20,815 

41,360 

79,618 

214,053 

345,158 

50,366 

13,638 

4,454 

19,648 

36,644 

73,685 

198,435 

329,173 

Total Patients Transported by Road 611,238 587,356 581,170 559,211 527,608 

Road Patients Transported - Kilometers Travelled (Rural) 11 

Code 1 

Code 2 

Code 3 

2,856,657 

1,838,455 

6,216,090 

2,408,085 

1,795,814 

6,238,226 

1,861,794 

1,946,034 

6,038,303 

1,618,892 

2,038,128 

5,250,177 

1,531,514 

1,944,301 

4,954,518 

Total Kilometres (Rural Region) 10,911,202 10,442,125 9,846,131 8,907,197 8,430,333 

Referral Service (Metropolitan Region) 12 

Calls Managed 

Referrals (no emergency dispatch required) 

39,190 

28,952 

33,034 

24,145 

30,249 

20,808 

26,528 

18,516 

20,942 

13,498 

Notes: 

1) AV commenced operation on 1 July 2008. Data prior to 2008-2009 are aggregated Metropolitan Ambulance Service and Rural Ambulance 

Victoria data. Some data published in previous Annual Reports have been updated to ensure consistency and reflect more up to date data 

and may therefore differ from data previously reported to DH. 

2) The classification of Fixed Wing emergency incidents and transports was updated in 2009-2010 to better reflect the clinical condition of patients. 

3) The HEMS 4 helicopter based in Warrnambool commenced operations on 1 July 2009. 

4) The HEMS 5 retrieval helicopter based at Essendon Airport commenced operations on 16 March 2009. 

5) AV assumed responsibility for the Docklands paediatric retrieval helicopter in July 2006. This helicopter ceased operations on 16 March 2009. 

6) AV assumed responsibility for Adult Retrieval Services in November 2007. 

7) All retrievals also appear as either a road or an air incident. Some changes in retrieval processes and classification occurred in 2009-2010 

and this accounts for some of the decrease in road retrievals and increase in air retrievals. 

8) Metropolitan response time reporting from 2007/08 is based on data sourced from the Computer Aided Dispatch system. Earlier 

metropolitan response times and all rural response times are sourced from Patient Care Records completed by paramedics. 

9) Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics Urban Centre boundaries and resident population data (2006 Census). 

10) The charge class assigned to patients transported is subject to change during the period when an account is being finalised, and 

significant movements between charge classes occur over a period of approximately four months from the time of the transport. 

The charge class breakdown for 2009-2010 has therefore been estimated. 

11) Metropolitan region data are not available. 

12) The Referral Service commenced operations in September 2003. Referrals are not included in road or air incidents or transports. 



Definitions 

Incident: 

Emergency: 

Dispatch Codes: 

An event to which one or more ambulances are dispatched. 

An incident to which one or more ambulances are dispatched in response to a ‘000’ call 

from a member of the public, or a medical request for transport requiring an emergency 

ambulance (due to patient acuity or transport timeframe). 

Code 1 incidents are time critical (proceed with lights and sirens); 

Code 2 incidents are acute, but not time critical (without warning devices); 

Code 3 incidents are not urgent. 

Non-Emergency: 

Compensable: 

Community Service 

Obligation: 

Retrieval: 

Request for patient transport where patient has been medically assessed and the transport 

is medically authorised; covered by the NEPT regulations and usually pre-booked. 

Not funded by DH – patient or third party (e.g. hospital, DVA, WC, TAC, MSS) responsible 

for fee. 

Funded by DH – Pensioner or Health Care Card Holder exempt from fee. 

A retrieval is a coordinated inter-hospital transfer of a patient, who has a critical care or 

time critical healthcare need, which is unable to be met at the original health service. 

Retrieval services are provided by specialised clinical crews with advanced training in 

transport, retrieval and critical care medicine, operating within a structured system which 

ensures governance & standards. 

Cases handled by Adult Retrieval Victoria include the provision of adult Critical Care and 

Major Trauma advice, coordination of Critical Care bed access and retrieval of Critical Care 

patients state-wide. 

Referral Service: 

The Referral Service provides additional triaging of lower priority calls to 000 by a health 

professional; suitable calls are referred to other service providers as an alternative to an 

emergency ambulance dispatch. Referral options include locum general practitioners, 

nursing service, hospital response teams and non-emergency ambulance transport. 

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Appendix C - Statutory compliance 

Freedom of Information 

AV received 1828 requests under the Freedom 

of Information Act 1982 in 2009-2010. This total 

comprised of 931 personal requests and 897 nonpersonal 

requests. 

84 requests were carried over from the previous 

financial year while 158 requests were pending as 

at 30 June 2010. 

Full or partial access was granted in 1522 requests. 

Three requests were denied in full and 121 requests 

were for information not located on AV record-keeping 

systems. 

24 requests were withdrawn or not proceeded with 

by the applicant. 

Most applications were received from lawyers, 

members of the public and the Transport Accident 

Commission. 

Most applications were for access to Patient Care 

Records by patients attended by AV, their legal or 

other representatives, or surviving next of kin. 

AV collected $38,136.70 in application fees and waived 

$4,591.70. AV fulfilled its obligations to protect patient 

and staff privacy and/or confidentiality. 

The most common reason for AV seeking to fully 

or partially exempt requested documents was the 

protection of personal privacy in relation to requests 

for information about persons other than the applicant. 

Internal Reviews 2009-2010 

Requests received 7 

Outcome of Internal Reviews 2009-2010 

Original decision confirmed 6 

Original decision varied 0 

Original decision overturned 1 

Freedom of Information Requests 2009-2010 

Requests received during the year 1,828 

Requests carried over from the previous year 84 

Requests completed within the statutory period 1,822 

Requests transferred to another agency 0 

Requests transferred from another agency 3 

Requests withdrawn or not proceeded with by the applicant 24 

Access granted in full 1,413 

Access granted in part (exemptions claimed) 109 

Access refused in full (exemptions claimed) 3 

Requests where no relevant documents could be located 121 

Requests awaiting completion at the end of the financial year 158 


VIPP Contracts 

Under the Victorian Industry Participation Policy (VIPP) 

Act 2003, AV is required to disclose whether it had any 

VIPP contracts during the year. 

AV had three VIPP contracts commencing in the 

2009-2010 Financial Year. The total of these three 

contracts is estimated at $82.5 million, excluding 

GST (over the contract life). Two contracts were for 

state-wide services the other being for rural only. 

Two VIPP contracts ceased in 2009-2010. One of 

these contracts was state-wide while the other was 

metropolitan only. 

National Competition Policy 

Purchasing 

All tender processes conformed to VGPB guidelines. 

Wherever possible, whole of government and government 

endorsed supplier arrangements were utilised. 

Building standards 

In November 1994, the Minister for Finance issued 

guidelines pursuant to Section 220 of the Building Act 

1993 to promote conformity in building standards for 

buildings owned by public authorities. 

AV maintains a high level of compliance with building 

standards and regulations. All works carried out 

during the year were conducted in accordance with 

the Building Act and relevant building regulations. 

AV complies, to the extent applicable, with the 

National Competition Policy. 

Consultancy Fees 

Consultancies in excess of $100,000 

Fees Incurred 

2009-2010 

$’000 

Fees incurred 

2008-2009 

$’000 

Capital Foresight Pty Ltd – Property Portfolio Implementation Strategy --- 256 

ORD Ltd – Future Planning 215 --- 

Valuer General – Valuation of Land and Buildings --- 219 

Small World Social Pty Ltd – Internal Communications Strategy 148 --- 

Grant Thornton Pty Ltd – Organisation Structure and Financial Integration 536 639 

Frontier Software Pty Ltd – Payroll Implementation and Upgrade 134 141 

Consultancies costing less than $100,000 222 391 

22 consultancies were employed in 2009-2010 (2008-2009: 44) 

each valued at less than $100,000 

Total 1,255 1,646 

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Whistleblower disclosure 

The Whistleblowers’ Protection Act 2001 provides the 

legal framework within which disclosure can be made 

revealing corrupt conduct, conduct involving a substantial 

mismanagement of public resources or a substantial risk 

to public health and safety or the environment. 

AV recognises the importance and value of 

accountability and transparency in its management 

and administrative practices and supports the making 

of these disclosures. The alleged conduct however 

must be proven to be serious enough to constitute a 

criminal offence or reasonable grounds for dismissal 

to satisfy the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act 2001. 

A disclosure about improper conduct or detrimental 

action by AV or its employees may be made to AV 

contacts below or alternatively to the Ombudsman. 

AV Contact Person(s): 

Paul Bean 

Manager Professional Standards 

375 Manningham Road Doncaster Victoria 3108 

Telephone: 03 9840 3635 

Fax: 03 9840 3785 

Tony Walker 

General Manager Regional Services 


Telephone: 03 9840 3716 

Fax: 03 9840 3709 

Mark Rogers 

General Manager Specialist Services 


Telephone: 03 9840 3716 

Fax: 03 9840 3709 

Alternative Contact: 

The Ombudsman Victoria 

Level 9, 459 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 

Internet: www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au 

Telephone: 03 9613 6222 

Toll Free: 1800 806 314 

AV received one disclosure under the Act in 2009-2010. 

The Ombudsman made several recommendations, 

which were implemented by AV. 

Equal Employment Opportunity 

“Throughout the 2009-10 year there were a total 

of 27 complaints escalated to HR for investigation. 

Of these, three complaints were fully substantiated. 

AV has made, and is continuing to make, a significant 

effort to address EEO issues this year, encouraging 

complaints and addressing inappropriate behaviour. 

This year has also seen the start of EEO training for 

all managers in the regions, a project that will be 

completed by the end of 2010.” 

Code of Conduct 

AV employees are currently subject to the Code of 

Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees. 

In addition to this, in March 2010, AV released its 

Workplace Conduct policy which lays out expected 

workplace behaviours specific to ambulance. This is 

an amalgamation of the former MAS and RAV policies. 

Disability Action Plan 

Ambulance Victoria (AV) is continuing to refine its 

Disability Action Plan (DAP) using internal consultation 

and review processes. 

The outcome areas of the plan are: 

1. Goods, services and facilities being accessible to 

people with a disability 

- All Ambulance Victoria administration offices 

have been audited and assessed to ensure 

they are compliant with the DAP requirements 

- All Ambulance Victoria operational stations 

are exempt from the DAP requirements. 

2. People with a disability obtaining and maintaining 

employment 

- All job advertisements include the clause that 

states Ambulance Victoria does not discriminate 

- Discriminating information provided by the applicant 

in the interview process is never transferred. 

3. Inclusion and participation in the community 

- Information regarding disability will be provided 

in any brochures or pamphlets distributed at 

Career Expos or Ambulance Victoria Open Days. 

4. Positive changes in attitudes and a reduction in 

practices that discriminate 

- Ambulance Victoria publications include people 

with disabilities 

- All Ambulance Victoria job descriptions are 

EEO and DAP compliant 

- Ambulance Victoria now accepts applications for 

paramedics who have previously suffered seizures 

(as long as it has not been in the last 6 months). 


(as at 30/6/10) 

2008 – 2009 2009 – 2010 

Number of workplace fatalities 0 0 

Risk management system compliance (metro only) 93% 94.8% 

Lost time injury frequency rate 90.2 100.7 

Average number of standard claims per 100 FTE (full time equivalent) staff 9.2 10.7 

Average cost per WorkCover standard claim $30,982 $18,562 

Number of hazards/incident reports lodged 3,041 3,261 

Percentage of WorkCover standard claims with a RTW plan initiated 100% 100% 

Percentage of employees immunised against influenza (include ACO) 38% 32% 

Average number of OHS related training hours per staff 1.9 3.7 

Percentage of Health & Safety Representatives (HSR) positions filled 94% 91% 

30 




32 




Printed in Australia on an environmentally sustainable paper.

Ambulance Victoria 

Registered Office and Headquarters 

375 Manningham Road, Doncaster, Victoria 3108 

Postal Address 

PO Box 2000, Doncaster, Victoria 3108 

Website www.ambulance.vic.gov.au 

Administration 03 9840 3500 

Facsimile 03 9840 3583 

Membership 1800 64 84 84

AMBULANCE VICTORIA 2009-2010 ANNUAL REPORT

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