Paramedics are arriving at cardiac arrests faster than ever before, with a record number of Victorian patients surviving, thanks to our world-class paramedics and unprecedented investment by the Andrews Labor Government.

Minister for Ambulance Services Jenny Mikakos today joined paramedics to release the Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry report, which shows state-wide ambulance response times to cardiac arrests have improved to 7.5 minutes – the fastest response time ever.

Despite paramedics treating a record 6,519 cardiac arrest patients, Victoria remains one of the safest places in the world to have a cardiac arrest, with a 39 per cent survival rate.

A total of 365 people were discharged from hospital after surviving a cardiac arrest, with 89 per cent of survivors returning to their families and loved ones, and 74 per cent going back to work.

More bystanders are helping save lives before paramedics arrive with a record 97 patients receiving defibrillation compared to 82 last year.

In the past decade, bystander CPR rates have increased from 48 per cent to 62 per cent and public defibrillators usage has soared three-fold.

The Labor Government has invested a record $1 billion to deliver more paramedics, more vehicles and more stations. This includes a $299 million boost in the Victorian Budget 2019/20.

The latest data shows ambulances managed the largest number of emergency cases for the July to September quarter, with 78,130 Code 1 call-outs across Victoria. This is up from 69,753 in the same quarter a year earlier.

Our dedicated paramedics managed more than 8,300 extra callouts in the September quarter, arriving within the benchmark of 15 minutes for 83.3 per cent of Code 1 calls – up from 71.8 per cent in 2014 under the previous Liberal government.

There are more than 5,000 defibrillators registered across Victoria. Registering defibrillators at ambulance.vic.gov.au/register is a small but important step to help link communities across Victoria with people who need them.