Shepparton health workers rise to the challenge

ACCORDING to the latest performance data, Victoria’s hospitals and paramedics have been rising to the challenge of record demand caused by a busy flu season.

The busy flu season has put enormous strain on our nurses, doctors and paramedics. Already, there have been more than 40,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza across the state, including 10,000 children and more than 70 deaths.

The Andrews Labor Government is stepping up its fight against the flu, making the vaccination compulsory for frontline staff in hospital wards.

The Government is working with health experts, unions and hospitals on new rules that ensure nurses, doctors and other staff are fully vaccinated against a host of diseases, including the flu.

Minister for Health, Jenny Mikakos said, “The flu season has hit hard and hit early, but our nurses, doctors and paramedics in Shepparton have done an exceptional job rising to the challenge.”

In the City of Greater Shepparton, ambulances arrived within an average of 10:14 minutes during the June quarter – an improvement compared with 11:16 for the same period 12 months prior.

Goulburn Valley Health also treated 100 percent of its Category 1 emergency patients immediately upon arrival at the hospital. They also reduced the elective surgery waiting lists to 534 patients – down from 588 a year earlier, and completed the transfer of 82.5 percent of patients who arrived at the hospital in an ambulance in the June quarter within the target of 40 minutes, up on its 73.6 percent transfer rate a year earlier.