Ambulance response times slip back despite spin on latest ramping figures

It was the promise that propelled Peter Malinauskas to the Premier’s office, but more than two years on there are ominous signs for SA’s stressed hospitals.

The state government’s failure to “fix” ramping – so far – has taken an ominous turn with new data showing deteriorating response times.

Both priority 1 (emergency) and priority 2 (urgent) calls have been falling in the past few months including in July when ramping soared to a record 5539 hours of ambulances with patients stuck in hospital car parks.

The record ramping and recent trend in response times comes more than two years after then Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas swept to power in the March 2022 election on a core promise to “fix” ramping, using posters, videos and social media to emphasise the pledge.

Priority 1 calls have fallen from the December 2023 high under Labor of 76.2 per cent of calls attended within the target eight minutes, to 70.4 per cent in July.

This is still well above the 59.4 per cent in March 2022 when Labor came to power.

WATCH BELOW: FULL RAMPING STATS SINCE THE 2022 STATE ELECTION

SA Health data showing hours lost to ramping at Adelaide’s major public hospitals, month by month.

Priority 2 calls fared worse.

From 34.3 per cent attended within the target 16 minutes when Labor took power in March 2022, it rose to a high of 66.7 per cent in April this year but has since slumped to 55 per cent in July.

July’s record ramping saw ambulances queued in car parks for up to 12.5 hours, reducing their ability to swiftly respond to emergencies.

July also saw a case where an elderly man died after waiting five hours for help following a triple 0 call from a residential aged care facility.

Ramping has been implicated in the slow response and the case has been referred to the Coroner.

Social post by SA’s Labor Government pledging to fix ramping from November 2021.

SA Health released the data as Health Minister Chris Picton held a press conference to announce 48 extra beds were opening at the Lyell McEwin Hospital this week, as part of 80 additional beds to come online at the hospital by the end of 2025.

The announcement referred to response times but not the recent downward trend, comparing July’s figures to July 2022 to show an overall increase.

Mr Picton said South Australians are much more likely to have an ambulance arrive on time in an emergency than they were two years ago.

“Almost 3000 more lights and sirens priority 2 incidents arrived within the benchmark time of 16 minutes last month compared to July 2022,” he said.

Health Minister Chris Picton. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

Another of the ramping campaign social posts from November 2021.

“That is despite ambulances responding to an additional 816 priority 2 incidents – or almost eight per cent more – during that same period.

“Response times have significantly improved to what they were under the former Liberal government.”

He said the government is making a “generational investment” to get more ambulances on the road and the government is in the process of opening more than 600 new hospital beds which are critical to freeing up EDs.

Despite the extra beds opening at Lyell McEwin Hospital, at 4pm on Monday it was one of six metropolitan hospitals on code white — EDs treating more than official capacity — as 374 patients were being treated in a citywide system with official capacity for 332 patients, and 104 patients were waiting or expected to arrive.