AMBULANCE VICTORIA 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