Patients languishing in emergency departments

More than a quarter of Victorians seeking medical treatment in emergency departments are unlikely to be treated within recommended time frames.

The findings are disclosed in the Department of Health's annual report, tabled in state parliament on Thursday.

It found category-one patients, those who need resuscitation, were treated immediately.

But just 71 per cent of those presenting to emergency departments were seen on time in the 12 months to June 30, 2024.

The state's health system has come under fire this year, with an expert review released in August describing it as no longer fit for purpose.

Victoria uses a triage system for its emergency departments which sorts patients into five categories.

Category-two patients require treatment within 10 minutes, category three need treatment within 30 minutes, category four need care within one hour and category-five patients within two hours.

The report reiterated the continuing issue of ambulance ramping, with just 65 per cent of patients handed over to hospitals within 40 minutes.

Department of Health secretary Euan Wallace said the introduction of 29 priority primary-care centres had helped lift some of the burden off emergency departments.

The centres have treated just over 360,000 patients who would have otherwise presented at their local hospital.

"The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) has also grown from strength to strength, helping ever more Victorians access the care they need remotely, reducing the need for hospital visits," Professor Wallace wrote in the report.

"The VVED is now Victoria's busiest ED of all."

The government said health systems globally are under significant pressure following the one-in-100-year pandemic.

Emergency departments across the state report more than 503,000 presentations in the last three months alone, while paramedics have seen demand soar to more than 35 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

"We're delivering a range of initiatives to reduce pressure on our busy hospitals and get our paramedics on the road sooner," a government spokesperson said on Friday.

" (This includes) expanding the Virtual ED, deploying patient flow specialists, extending our Community Pharmacy Pilot services, bolstering our regional workforce, and supporting our 29 Urgent Care Clinics."

The government says it has also increased the public health workforce by 50 per cent since coming to power in 2014.