Off the back of a record year for planned surgery delivery, Victoria has reached another milestone – with health services delivering the second highest quarterly result on record and the most in any first quarter ever.
More than 57,000 patients received planned surgery between July and September – an 11.5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Victorians continued to receive surgeries sooner, with the median wait time holding steady at 27 days. This includes a six-day improvement, compared to same time last year for category three patients.
These results follow a record-breaking year for Victoria’s dedicated healthcare workforce, who delivered more than 212,000 planned surgeries in 2024/25.
The effects of seasonal winter illnesses saw hospitals face higher demand and more complex cases with more than 507,578 emergency department presentations – a two per cent rise on last year.
Ambulance Victoria response times for the most urgent Code One lights and sirens cases remained stable at 12.4 minutes, despite paramedics responding to 101,605 incidents – 2.8 per cent higher than the previous quarter.
Paramedics are also transferring patients into hospital care faster, getting back on the road sooner – achieving a 5.5 per cent improvement in handover times compared to the same time last year.
These results are driven by targeted investments and initiatives to improve patient flow and maximise capacity in hospitals, including the implementation of the new Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care.
The standards are working to deliver faster care, support staff in busy emergency departments, and get paramedics back on the road sooner.
Since February, 80 per cent of participating health services, including Austin, Sunshine and Frankston hospitals, recorded an improvement in patient transfer times of more than four per cent by the end of the financial year.
The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department and Urgent Care Clinics are also continuing to help ease pressure, allowing Victorians access to the care they need while avoiding a trip to the emergency.
Building on this investment, the Allan Labor Government recently announced a $50 million investment to support 16 health services to reduce the amount of time people spend waiting in ambulances and emergency departments.