Ambulance Victoria Calls Code Red As IT System Crashes

Victoria's emergency services dispatch system crashed overnight, forcing a Code Red and sparking further chaos for Victorian ambulances.

An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said Friday's code red escalation was enacted following a technical system issue at ESTA.

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“Ambulance Victoria worked with ESTA to resolve the issue within about 30 minutes,” they said.

“Ambulance Victoria is aware of delays in ambulances reaching patients in metropolitan Melbourne at present,” the statement said.

Adding to the mayhem, current staff shortages across the state's health system, meant hospitals were forced to ramp ambulances.

Victorian Ambulance Union General Secretary Danny Hill told the Herald Sun that at one point, 70 patients were waiting for an ambulance.

“We were incredibly busy,” he said.

“They had at one point 70 cases pending, that’s 70 patients who called up and needed an ambulance but one was not available.

“While that was happening, the system crashed and they had to go to manual,” Mr Hill said.

The union continues to press the state government to “make some firm decisions” with paramedics being mis-used as a taxi service to hospitals by patients who don’t need an ambulance.

“I think there needs to be some firm decisions about what the ambulance service is for and what they do,” Mr Hill said.

“We can be a taxi service or we can be used to save lives, but we can’t do both."

- Danny Hill

Victorians are reminded to call Nurse on Call 1300 60 60 24 or visit their local GP if their illness is not an emergency.

“We can be a taxi service or we can be used to save lives, but we can’t do both.

- Ambulance Victoria

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