How long before someone dies as a result of the cuts to services in Ambulance Victoria? Or has it already happened? Within the last week there have been two instances that I know of where people in hospital, or needing transport to hospital have had to wait too long for an ambulance as a consequence of the budget cuts that have been made to Ambulance Victoria's services. If this is happening in Ararat then it is happening throughout Victoria. Sign the petition to encourage the Hon. David Davis to understand that all Victorians need access to quality care in case of an accident - none of us would like our family to be in need of an ambulance in an emergency and find it unavailable or an hour away. This is the 21st Century and we are one of the richest countries in the world.

The following is an excerpt from http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ambulance-cut-may-cost-lives-20111126-1o0k5.html by Cameron Houston

AMBULANCE Victoria has been forced to slash costs by 12.5 per cent, a move that could severely compromise the quality of service and threaten lives over the busy holiday period, paramedics and their union have warned. While Ambulance Victoria says the cuts only apply to overhead costs, paramedics say they include limiting overtime and not replacing staff on leave.
The measures, which came into effect a fortnight ago, will increase pressure on a service already struggling to arrest the steady decline in emergency response times, and cope with the 26,331 new members who have joined since the Baillieu government halved the cost of membership in June.

Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sasella confirmed the cost cuts were to be achieved by June 30. He said the ''efficiency program'' only applied to overhead costs, such as power, water and medical supplies.
Mr Sasella insisted that patient welfare would not be jeopardised by the cutbacks.
However, Steve McGhie, Ambulance Employees Australia state secretary, warned the cost-cutting, which he said included operating the service without full rosters of paramedics, would threaten lives and lead to further blowouts in response times.
''You can't turn an ambulance service on and off when it runs over budget,'' Mr McGhie said.

''It appears that Ambulance Victoria are not filling all paramedic shifts or replacing clinical support officer positions, which will eventually have a disastrous impact.''
Mr Sasella denied lives would be put at risk, despite the service ''working to a tight budget''. ''Ambulance Victoria is … making sure we do the best with what we have,'' Mr Sasella told The Sunday Age.

The cost-saving move comes just three months after the government overhauled the Ambulance Victoria board, citing a ''long-term slide in performance''.
Mr Sasella recently conceded that the service, which posted a $158,000 loss last financial year, could not cover its operating costs despite receiving $51 million from the government to train new paramedics over the next four years.
''We're taking steps to reduce any areas of unnecessary expense and then ensuring that those savings are directed towards operations activities,'' Mr Sasella said.

He said there had been no reduction in the government budget, with about 90 per cent of existing funding directed towards ambulances and paramedics.
But several senior paramedics said they had received verbal directives from management to curb operational costs, which had already affected services, particularly in country Victoria.

The Sunday Age was told that Ambulance Victoria did not replace a Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance-trained clinical support officer in the Campaspe Shire for seven weeks.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman James Howe said the specialised role in Victoria's north-west could not be filled because of ''rostering problems''.

Last Monday, a hobby farmer gored by a bull died after waiting almost 30 minutes for an ambulance because the depot, eight minutes away, was unmanned.
The man died at a property near Acheron, 120 kilometres north of Melbourne. At the time, the sole day crew at nearby Alexandra was in Lilydale transporting a non-urgent patient to Maroondah Hospital.

Mr McGhie had raised concerns about under-resourcing in the region in a letter to Ambulance Victoria on August 23. He said the lack of resources was damaging morale among paramedics, following a string of resignations and more than 10 per cent of members lodging WorkCover claims.

Mr McGhie said it was ''ludicrous'' for Ambulance Victoria to claim it could achieve a 12.5 per cent cut in overheads by turning off lights and more efficient ordering of medical supplies.

The move to slash costs follows a decline in ambulance response times last financial year, with paramedics taking more than 15 minutes to respond to almost a quarter of the most urgent cases.

A scathing Auditor-General's report last year revealed Victoria's ailing service had delivered the worst emergency response times since 2004.
That report found emergency incidents had risen by 50 per cent over the past decade, and the service was under unprecedented pressure due to the ageing population, rising chronic disease, population growth and more people living alone.
The mounting pressure on regional ambulance services reached flashpoint on Phillip Island last week, when Ambulance Victoria relocated a clinical support vehicle and MICA-trained paramedic from Cowes to Morwell. The vehicle was equipped with $22,000 worth of life saving equipment that was paid for by local fund-raising events.

The decision follows the closure of Warley Hospital on Phillip Island in 2008, and leaves the island vulnerable over summer when its population swells by about 80,000. Clinical Operations manager Dave Garner said Phillip Island would be covered by a 24-hour ambulance service in Cowes and MICA units in Wonthaggi and Morwell. The special equipment donated by the Phillip Island community would benefit the broader Bass Coast region.

Ambulance cut 'may cost lives'
Cameron Houston
November 2011