The latest release of quarterly performance data confirms Victoria’s health system is under unprecedented pressure – like every health system across the country – from a busy flu season and the continued pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Across Australia and the world, health services continue to feel the effects of the pandemic, including COVID-19 cases and workforce shortages from sickness. Hospitals are also managing record demand, while treating far sicker patients who are staying longer after delaying care during the pandemic.

This demand is reflected in the latest data, with hospital emergency department presentations pushing up to 486,701 – an increase of 5.1 per cent from the previous quarter.

Importantly, the number of patients who received their surgery in this quarter was 41,468, which is an increase of 48 per cent compared to the previous quarter.

Elective surgery waiting lists across the country have also been stretched throughout the pandemic, but Victoria’s list has stabilised since the previous quarter and is now sitting at 87,275.

The Andrews Labor Government’s $1.5 billion Covid Catch-Up Plan is not only helping the health system catch up on surgery but delivering sustainable long-term changes to support Victoria’s surgery capacity into the future.

The plan is also delivering the workforce needed to support an increase in surgery volumes, with funding for 400 nurses to complete postgraduate training in perioperative nursing, a further 1,000 nurses to upskill in general surgery and recovery and the upskilling of 30 theatre and sterilisation technicians.

This past quarter was the busiest in Ambulance Victoria’s history and the third consecutive quarter to break demand records. Code 1 case call outs rose from the previous quarter to 97,928 – an increase of five per cent from the same period last year. 64 per cent of Code 1 cases were responded to within 15 minutes.

The Government’s $12 billion Pandemic Repair Plan is providing the state’s health services with the support and reinforcements they need to get through this period of record demand and come out stronger on the other side.

The Plan is delivering the training and recruitment of up to 7,000 healthcare workers, getting a record number of paramedics on the road, more Triple Zero call takers, doubling the Virtual ED and deploying patient flow specialists across 12 major hospitals – all of which will help Victorians get the care they need sooner.