Ambulance ramping in Adelaide goes from bad to worse, June figures show

Ambulance ramping in Adelaide has hit a new low in June, with every bed in the system currently full thanks to a surge in flu and Covid cases.

Ambulance ramping has soared to yet another record, with 3838 hours lost in transfer of care in June.

This was up from 3412 hours lost in May, or almost 18 extra days, and more than 1000 extra hours lost compared to the 2632 hours lost in March.

Labor was elected promising to “fix ramping” but Health Minister Chris Picton warned the health system faces pressure “right through winter.”

He stressed the system was combating rising flu and Covid cases which it did not face at the same time last year.

Health Minister Chris Picton. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

“We have seen a few really difficult weeks in our hospitals, cases of people stuck in EDs because we don’t have enough beds to get people into,” he said.

“This is an issue we are going to be combating right through winter. We don’t have enough capacity in the system.

Ambulances ramped at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

“We have committed to another 550 beds but these will take years to build unfortunately.”

Mr Picton said all available hospital beds were now open to try to deal with demand and noted many beds were taken up by patients ready for discharge but waiting on NDIS or residential aged care places.

He said the ramping figures were “unacceptable”.

“There is a huge amount of pressure on the health system at the moment, we have opened up every available bed in our health system,” he said.

“We just don’t have enough capacity in our health system at the moment.”

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said ramping in Adelaide was getting “dangerously worse”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

He said the shortage of ward beds meant people were being stuck in EDs, in turn causing ramping and leading to delays when people needed an ambulance because they were stuck in hospital car parks waiting to discharge patients.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said: “Labor promised South Australians they would fix ramping, but the situation is getting dangerously worse on their watch.

“What’s hugely concerning is these appalling ramping statistics only paint of part the picture – the real level of ramping is far higher when you consider those who have been told to make their own way to the emergency room, not to mention the start of internal ramping inside our hospitals.”