Ramping spirals to record levels as the biggest ED in SA opens
Ramping has hit record levels but the opening of an expanded emergency department today in one of SA’s biggest hospitals will ease pressure, according to officials.
SA News
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Ambulance ramping hit a record 2800 hours lost in May but the state government says today’s opening of Flinders Medical Centre’s emergency department – the biggest in the state – will ease pressure.
From a low of 493 hours lost in transfer of care in April 2020 as the pandemic hit, ramping spiralled to 2800 hours in May.
It fell to 2417 hours in June but spiked again in July to 2537 hours, making five months in a row above 2000 hours.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said it was a crisis which was affecting patient care.
“Steven Marshall said his budget would fix ramping ‘almost immediately’ – these new statistics are a stark representation of his failure to deliver on that promise,” he said.
“Ambulance ramping so far in 2021 is 4½ times as bad as the same months in 2017. Every one of these hours represents a person stuck, in pain, without dignity, not getting the treatment they deserve.”
Government officials say ramping is a national problem linked to the pandemic and noted Western Australia’s June peak hit 5293 hours lost.
Today’s opening of the new $8.5m Flinders Medical Centre ED, which has expanded from 30 treatment spaces to 86, is part of the $86m Southern Health Expansion Plan.
Health and Wellbeing Minister Stephen Wade noted the government’s record $7.4bn spend on health included expansion of most metropolitan EDs, including nearly doubling treatment spaces in the Lyell McEwin ED from 39 to 72.
“We can’t make the concrete dry any faster on our upgrades but we are getting on with the job of increasing capacity in our hospitals to help fix ramping and deliver better health care for all South Australians,” Mr Wade said.
“We know extra capacity is needed in our EDs, especially after Transforming Health, and that’s exactly what we are delivering as we continue our landmark $3bn hospital build program.”
Mr Wade said Covid protocols in hospitals were vital for safety but increased the time it took to treat people in EDs.
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