Figure 6. Reasonable time for an ambulance – Australia (Q9) – 2020 vs 2021
9. Considering all circumstances, if you had an emergency in your home, what do you feel would be a reasonable time to wait for an ambulance to arrive? (Base Australia 2021 n=4,474, 2020 n=2,285; excludes ‘missing’, ‘don’t know/can’t say’, and responses over 120 minutes)
Australians overall were more tolerant of wait times in 2021 with a reasonable wait time expected of 19.3 minutes, over two minutes longer compared to 2020. All states and territories, with the exception of the Northern Territory, increased their leniency regarding wait times. A significant increase in what was considered a reasonable wait time was observed when comparing 2020 and 2021 results among Victoria (19.4 minutes), Queensland (20.5 minutes) and in Western Australia (18.2 minutes). This was the first year the question had been asked in Papua New Guinea. The question was not asked in New Zealand.
“Arrived quickly, crew seemed very confident and competent. Made me feel assured. Used a little humour to lighten the situation.” – Patient, VIC “They arrived quickly and were able to assess quickly and give me pain relief for my condition.” – Patient, ACT “There was nothing to fault with the speed of arrival, care and general handling of call out. Clear language used by staff.” – Carer, St John
3.3 Provision of care Care Provided Table 9. Paramedics’ care (Q5) – Australia and Papua New Guinea 2021 Victoria New South Wales Queensland Western Australia Tasmania Northern Territory Australian Capital Territory
Very good 86.9% 88.1% 86.5% 87.1% 90.5% 91.1% 85.6%
Good 9.8% 8.7% 11.0% 8.9% 7.1% 6.1% 11.1%
OK 2.2% 1.5% 1.6% 3.0% 1.2% 2.8% 2.1%
Poor 0.3% 0.6% 0.3% 0.6% 0.7% 0.0% 1.0%
Very poor 0.8% 1.2% 0.7% 0.4% 0.4% 0.0% 0.2%
NET Good 97% 97% 97% 96% 98% 97% 97%
NET Poor 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 0% 1%
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The Council of Ambulance Authorities | 2021 Patient Experience Survey Report
