Ambulance ramping crisis continues to hit Queensland emergency departments

RAMPING by ambulances at major Queensland hospitals continues to blight urgent patient care at emergency departments.

AMBULANCE ramping at major Queensland hospitals continues to blight urgent patient care at emergency departments.

New figures show a third of patients arriving by ambulance at the Gold Coast University Hospital, the Royal Brisbane, Redland or Logan hospitals were not handed over to emergency departments within the 30-minute guidelines.

“Our emergency departments are under stress, and increased ramping ties up our paramedics from getting back on the road and saving lives,’’ said Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates.

“What kind of health system are we running if an ambulance takes you to a hospital in an emergency and you end up lying on an ambulance stretcher waiting to be transferred to a trolley in the ED?”

Ambulances ramping at Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Ms Bates said the “off-the-stretcher” times had worsened since Lawrence Springborg was health minister.

The former nurse said ramping was symptomatic of the system’s failure to deal with demand.

“Over the past year, we’ve also seen a deterioration in the situation at Rockhampton and Gympie hospitals.”

The Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Steven Miles, could not be contacted.