Tue Oct 28

Ambulance ramping, handover delays and ED pressure in Victoria

Written by Times Media

One of the biggest bottlenecks in the Victorian health-system is ambulance ramping (also sometimes called “transfer of care delays”, “off-stretcher time” or “patient handover delays”) — this is when an ambulance arrives with a patient at an emergency department (ED) but the patient is not handed over promptly to hospital/ED staff and the ambulance crew remains on-scene or stuck outside the department.

For example, the Australian Medical Association’s 2025 “Ambulance Ramping Report Card” shows that for Victoria, the target was for 90 % of ambulance transfers to complete within 40 minutes, yet in 2023-24 only 65 % of patients were transferred within that timeframe — reflecting a major performance gap.

In many hospitals, paramedics are forced to wait — tying up the ambulance resource, reducing availability for further emergency responses, and placing extra strain on EDs and system flow. One report noted:

“Ambulance ramping leaves Victorian regions without paramedics … the community doesn’t know that the ambulance is two hours away from helping them.”

In short: ramping = delay to the patient in the ED, reduced paramedic availability in the community, jammed EDs and wards → slower overall emergency care.

Growing demand + constrained capacity

The volume of presentations to public hospital EDs is increasing, resources are stretched, and patient flow through the hospital (ED → inpatient ward → home) is under pressure. According to the state health department:

“Patient demand for ED care is increasing, and improving ED services, facilities and waiting times is a priority for the Victorian Government.”

When hospital wards are full (so admitted patients cannot be transferred from ED to ward), the ED backs up; when the ED backs up, ambulance hand-over back‐up happens; and when ambulance hand‐over is delayed, paramedics remain tied up, reducing capacity to respond to new emergencies.

Why it matters

For patients: delays in ambulance arrival, delays in ED treatment, increased risk of adverse outcomes.
For system: paramedic crews unavailable; ambulances queued; EDs blocked; subsequent emergency calls suffer.
For staff: increased workload, frustration, stress; difficulties maintaining quality of care.
For government/policy: ramping is a visible indicator of health-system stress, and public dissatisfaction is high.

What is the Victorian Government doing? Key reforms

In response, the Victorian Government (under the Jacinta Allan administration of Victoria, supported by Mary‑Anne Thomas, Minister for Health and Ambulance Services) has introduced a major set of reforms. The cornerstone is a new set of standards plus funding and system-changes to improve ambulance handover, ED flow and ultimately reduce wait times and ramping.

The “Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care for Victorians”

This is a new document developed by the Department of Health in consultation with Ambulance Victoria, clinicians, health services, unions and other peak bodies.

Key points:

The standards cover both ambulance services (Ambulance Victoria) and public hospitals with emergency departments (EDs).
They set out shared and respective responsibilities: before transport, ambulance arrival, transfer of care, inpatient ward transfer, discharge.
They focus on leadership, operational processes, patient flow, alternative care settings, timely handover, early discharge.
Implementation is phased: starting February 2025 for major metropolitan & regional hospitals, and then further roll-out across all EDs.

Examples of the standards' targets:

Efficient ambulance distribution.
Timely transfer of care (handover) from ambulance to ED staff.
Efficient clearing processes so ambulance crew can get back to the road.

Funding & capacity-boost measures

Alongside the standards, the Government has committed additional funding and operational change:

The Victorian Budget 2024-25 committed $146 million additional investment in Ambulance Victoria.
Another investment in 2025/26 (as of June 2025) of $58.4 million to increase short‐stay units, nurse practitioners in EDs, additional inpatient beds/ED beds, to help smooth flow.
Expanding alternative care options: the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (online tele-ED service), Urgent Care Clinics, secondary triage services for Ambulance Victoria.

Target setting and accountability

The Government has signalled tougher accountability:

For example news reports indicate hospitals will face “consequences” if they fail to meet the new handover benchmarks (e.g., offload 90% of ambulance patients within 40 minutes).
The standards themselves come with how-to guides for hospitals: e.g., protocols for ambulance handover, use of short stay units, transit lounges, early discharge etc.

What the reforms will look like in practice

Some of the operational practices that hospitals/ambulance will adopt under the standards include:

Pre-hospital – ambulance crews and ED coordinate earlier/preparation for arrival.
At arrival – dedicated senior clinician/team in ED ready to receive ambulance handover and move patient quickly into a decision zone or ED waiting room rather than corridor. (This is inspired by the model at Austin Health which has been a leading performer.)
Use of alternative care pathways: patients who don’t require full ED admission may be redirected to urgent care, virtual ED, or community care.
ED to inpatient ward transfers: improving early discharge, ensuring patients who can go home do so, freeing beds.
Monitoring and escalation: hospitals must have operational management to escalate when flow slows.

What the changes mean for ambulance ramp times and emergency treatment

Expected improvements

Faster ambulance handover: With dedicated resources and streamlined handover processes, the time from ambulance arrival at hospital to transfer of care (and freeing of ambulance) should reduce.
Increased ambulance availability: When paramedics are freed sooner, they can respond to other emergencies rather than queueing stuck at hospital.
Better ED patient flow: By freeing up ED capacity and enabling early ward transfers/discharges, the ED can process cases more quickly, reducing waiting times for patients.
Reduced waiting for patients: Especially those arriving via ambulance – less waiting in corridors, quicker assessment and treatment – theoretically better outcomes and patient experience.
System resilience: Better alternative care pathways (virtual ED, urgent care) means not all demand is forced through the ED/ambulance route.

What has already been seen

Some early results are promising. For example:

The Government claims that at some of the busiest hospitals (Austin, Frankston, Monash Clayton, Maroondah, Royal Melbourne) the new handover standards have helped improve transfer times between paramedics and ED staff by more than 10 %.
The standards began earlier and were trialled in high-performing hospitals, which helped shape the statewide rollout.

Still big challenges

However, the data show there is a long way to go:

As noted above, Victoria’s rate of ambulance transfers within 40 minutes is still only ~65 % (vs target ~90 %).
In many regional areas, ramping remains severe, and there are reports of paramedics being unavailable because they are delayed at hospitals.
The underlying demand pressures (increasing patient presentations, ageing population, complex care cases, outbreaks of respiratory illness etc) continue. So even with reforms, system capacity is under pressure.
Reform implementation is phased and variable: different hospitals have varying capability and the standards recognise this.

Risks and caveats

If hospitals only focus on meeting handover time metrics without broader capacity planning (beds, staffing, ward transfers), flow may improve slightly but bottlenecks will shift elsewhere (e.g., ward capacity, post-acute care).
The success depends on alignment across the ambulance service, EDs, wards, community care and discharge pathways. Isolation of single-area reform may limit impact.
Regional, rural and smaller hospitals may face greater structural constraints (staffing, facilities, alternative care availability) and may struggle more with meeting the new standards.
Data transparency and monitoring are key: if performance data aren’t consistently published and compared, it’s difficult to measure true progress.

What this means for Victorians (and for the user-perspective)

For everyday Victorians (and for you as someone who follows consumer-and-service system trends) the reforms signal a few things:

If you ever need emergency care or call an ambulance, the hope is you will experience shorter wait times, quicker transfer to ED, and ambulance crews back on the road sooner.
The system may be better able to handle surges (e.g., flu season, pandemics) because of improved flow and alternative care options (virtual ED, urgent care).
From a consumer-service perspective, this is a major improvement in a high-stakes public service – so for brand/marketing in health, or for stakeholder communications (if you work in the sector), there is a narrative of “better, faster care” that may matter.
From a policy/marketing vantage (since you run an online marketing service and are comfortable with systems thinking): this reform is an interesting case of how service-delivery standards + operational metrics + investment + behavioural change (culture shift in hospitals) combine. If you do any marketing for health or service providers, it’s an example of how to communicate major service improvements to a public audience.

Key issues to watch / future implications

Measures and data

Transparency of performance data: Will the Department publish consistent data on ambulance ramping, handover times, paramedic availability, ED waiting times for all hospitals?
Regional vs metropolitan difference: Will performance improvements be evenly distributed, or will rural/regional areas lag?
Sustainability: Are the gains (e.g., 10% improvement in some hospitals) sustainable over time, especially when demand spikes?
Impact on patient outcomes: Beyond transfer times, will delays reduce, and will outcomes (mortality, complication rates, satisfaction) improve?

Capacity & staffing

The reform addresses the interface (ambulance → ED) but the downstream flow still depends on ward capacity, bed availability, post-acute care, and early discharge pathways. If those aren't improved, the upstream improvements may plateau.
Staffing remains a critical issue: paramedics, ED nurses and doctors, ward staff. Culture change (as emphasised by the Minister) is essential.
The alternative care settings (virtual ED, urgent care) will need to scale effectively and integrate with the ambulance/ED system to divert non‐critical demand.

Behavioural/cultural change

The Government and health services speak of “culture change” — e.g., ambulances back into the community, EDs as flow hubs not bottlenecks.
Success will depend on how hospitals adopt the new leadership, operate new protocols, coordinate with ambulance services and re-think patient pathways.
Accountability mechanisms (consequences for not meeting standards) will be interesting to watch — will they be enforced, and how?

Implications for the health system and wider economy

Improved ambulance/ED flow could reduce ambulance crew overtime, burnout and improve workforce sustainability.
Reduced ramping and better ED performance may reduce costs associated with delays, complications, extended hospital stays.
For regional Victoria especially, improved ambulance availability means better care access for communities.
There may be marketing/communicative elements: hospitals and health services may ‘brand’ themselves on improved performance, faster care, etc., which may influence patient/purchaser choices (especially if private/public competition increases).

Conclusion

The Victorian Government’s new “Standards for Safe and Timely Ambulance and Emergency Care for Victorians”, accompanied by investment and operational reforms, represent a significant policy push to reduce ambulance ramping, improve handover times, and enhance emergency department flow. The reforms target a core pain-point for both patients and the health system: how to get ambulances back on the road, how to get patients seen faster, and how to reduce waiting and delays.

While the early signs are promising (10 %+ improvements in some of the busiest hospitals) and the commitment is clear, the scale of the challenge remains large. Victoria’s performance is still well short of targets, demand pressures continue, and downstream system capacity (wards, discharge pathways, alternative care) remains a risk. The success of the reform will depend on robust data transparency, sustained investment, effective culture change across hospitals/ambulance services, and equitable improvement across metropolitan and regional areas.

For stakeholders — whether health-service providers, consumers, or marketers — this is a case of service-system reform where measurable performance standards, accountability, funding and operational change converge. As the rollout continues through 2025 and beyond, it will be worth monitoring how the numbers move (handover times, paramedic availability, ED wait times), and whether Victorians ultimately experience faster emergency care and fewer waits.

On the recent changes, the Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said,

“Demand for emergency care remains at record highs, that’s why we are giving hospitals and ambos what they need to move patients through our EDs faster, reduce wait times, and get ambulances back on the road sooner.”

“This is another important investment in our world-class health system – backing our frontline health workers and getting Victorians the care they need, when and where they need it.”