Ambulance Victoria's quarterly performance data confirms that increased demand for services is affecting ambulance response times in Victoria, with the Victorian Ambulance Union worried about the impact it is having on staff's morale.

From October 1 to December 31, 2020, only 79.3% of Code 1 cases had an ambulance arrive within the 15-minute response time target (down from 82.3% in the previous quarter).

In a code one situation -life-threatening emergencies that require an urgent response such as cardiac arrests, strokes or serious car accidents - the average wait for an ambulance in the City of Ballarat was 11:18.

This means 85.9 per cent of ambulances arrived in less than 15 minutes, though the wait was slightly longer than in other recent previous quarters.

Meanwhile, patients waited slightly more than 15 minutes in Moorabool Shire, closer to 20 minutes in Pyrenees and Hepburn shires and Golden Plains residents waited just over 20 minutes - some were longer wait times than previous quarters.

It was code two responses - acute and time-sensitive incidents that do not require lights and sirens - where the wait time really increased from previous quarters in all of the aforementioned local government areas.

Danny Hill, general secretary of the Victorian Ambulance Union, said the easing of COVID-19 restrictions had "clearly increased demand on ambulance services as well as emergency departments".

In Ballarat, paramedics responded to 223 more code one calls than in the previous quarter.

"This leads to ambulance crews being ramped at hospitals with their patients and unable to respond to other emergencies," he said.

Mr Hill attributed the strain on too many people entering the healthcare system through ambulances and emergency departments rather than through their general practitioners.

"The system is not coping. With COVID-19 risk easing it is important that people return to regular appointments with their family doctor and ensure they are taking a proactive approach with their healthcare."

Mr Hill said the increased workload was having a "massive effect" on the morale of paramedics and ambulance workers.

"Morale amongst paramedics and ambulance workers has hit rock bottom. They are exhausted. COVID19 was a very difficult time but they have emerged from that challenge straight into the next.

"There is no downtime, they are regularly missing meal breaks and are working dangerous amounts of incidental overtime".

He said members were at the point of exhaustion and sick leave was at an all time high.

Dropped shifts are commonly occurring across Victoria, further exacerbating resourcing gaps.

Mr Hill said Ballarat was "regularly affected" by these issues.

"We have had many reports from members of dropped shifts, including MICA shifts," he said.

Mr Hill added that Advanced Life Support paramedics had also frequently been forced to work on their own in Ballarat.

"On all indicators, the ambulance service is struggling. Hospital ramping, resource gaps, response times, unstaffed MICA ambulances, regular escalations to Code Orange or Code Red, all point to a very dangerous situation".

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The Andrews Government recently invested in the system, which has allowed for more paramedics to be recruited, but Mr Hill said the state risked an ambulance crisis 'if we don't get patients back into seeing their GPs, attending regular appointments and looking after their health".

"We want to avoid people needing to call an ambulance or turning up to an emergency department.

"Its important for the public to remember that ambulances are for emergencies. They are not a taxi service. If you have a life-threatening emergency, you should call an ambulance. But when people call for non-urgent problems, it can lead to crews not being available to respond to patients who really need paramedics help".

Ambulance Victoria's Executive Director of Clinical Operations, Associate Professor Mick Stephenson, said hospitals and healthcare services across Australia were experiencing increased patient demand following COVID-19 restrictions easing.

"Ambulance Victoria is no exception and cared for more patients in the past three months (October to December 2020) than during the same period in 2019."

He reiterated that what was of most concern was that 16-20 per cent of calls for assistance through Triple Zero (000) did not require "an emergency lights and sirens response", rather, these people could have been treated by their GP or pharmacist.

"We'd like to take this opportunity to remind the community that when an ambulance responds to a non-emergency call, it takes paramedics away from life-threatening emergencies."

Ballarat Health Services chief Dale Fraser said now was the time to prioritise your own health and reschedule appointments you might have missed in the past year.

"It is important for the community to re-engage with their primary care clinicians and only attend ED if their care needs are those of an emergency nature," he said in a statement.

"Prioritising your health should also include choosing to have your vaccinations - both the seasonal flu, and the new COVID-19 vaccinations. These vaccinations may soon be available through your GP.

"Don't put your health on hold; acting early and taking preventative steps doesn't just ease pressure on our ED and ambulances, it can save your life."