News
26 September, 2023
Worst ramping in QLD history
A SHOCKING development in the Queensland Health Crisis has emerged with revelations May 2023 was the worst month for ambulance ramping in recorded history.
More than 16,000 hours were lost across Queensland in May, which meant ambulances spent 517 hours on ramps each day.
The latest data from the Palaszczuk Labor Government also revealed:
June 2023 is the second worst month ever recorded at 15,679 hours lost.
Jan - Jun 2023 is the worst six months to start a year in Queensland.
Metro South is the first HHS to lose more than 5,000 hours in a month.
For the first time Metro North lost more than 3,000 hours in a month.
West Moreton broke its record with 2,194 hours lost in June.
In the first six months of 2023, ambulances spent more time ramped than the entire 2020 calendar year.
Leader of the Opposition, David Crisafulli, said the Palaszczuk Labor Government was in denial as they continued to ignore the seriousness of the Queensland Health Crisis.
“For the State Government to refuse to admit Queensland Health is in crisis shows they will never be able to heal a sick system,” Mr Crisafulli said.
“Patients know it, families know it and frontline staff know it, but the Health Minister refuses to accept it.
“Queensland Health is on life support and these catastrophic statistics prove the State Government can’t be trusted to heal the health crisis.
“Paramedics didn’t sign up to this vocation to spend an entire shift stuck on a ramp, while other calls go unanswered from Queenslanders in their hour of need.
“The Opposition will continue to fight for our solutions to be adopted to heal the health crisis; better resources, better triaging, sharing data in real-time and putting doctors and nurses back in charge to improve patient care.”
Shadow Health Minister, Ros Bates, said Shannon Fentiman was the latest Labor Health Minister who was losing control of the Queensland Health Crisis.
“Shannon Fentiman is more interested in a PR blitz to fix the Labor Government’s crisis than accepting responsibility to fix the Queensland Health crisis,” Ms Bates said.
“Shannon Fentiman’s claim that a record number of people went through Emergency departments last year was completely untrue and there is no denying these new ramping numbers because they came directly from her department.
“These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, these are Queenslanders stuck in the back of an ambulance because of the poor planning by the Palaszczuk Labor Government.
“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it is for patients and paramedics.
“I want to thank my frontline colleagues who are working double shifts to keep the health system on the rails.
“Shannon Fentiman is more focused on fudging the figures, instead of fixing the health system.
“Under Labor, Queensland has the worst ambulance ramping in the country, record lost ambulance hours, 37 maternity wards have shut, bed block is back, elective surgeries aren’t being completed within the clinically recommended time and more than 17,000 patients have spent more than 24 hours in emergency departments despite a 5.3% drop in the number of ED presentations last financial year.
“Under Labor, this is the new normal.
“Queenslanders deserve better.”
