Qld heath crisis: Ramping costs paramedics 33,000 valuable hours

Paramedics have lost tens of thousands of hours in just three months waiting for beds, with more than half of all patients taken to some Brisbane’s EDs via ambulance ramped in March.

Paramedics lost more than 33,000 hours while sitting ramped at the state’s under pressure emergency departments during the first three months of this year.

And new data has also revealed more than 50 per cent of patients brought to some of Brisbane’s EDs via ambulance were stuck ramped during March.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has seized upon the figures, claiming they should sound alarm bells for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath.

“We have now reached uncharted territory in the Queensland Health crisis and no amount of promises to fix it years down the track will heal a sick system,” he said.

“For every one of the last seven years the state government has crowed about its ‘record health budget’, but it’s their record on health that matters to Queenslanders.”

New figures released in questions on notice have revealed paramedics lost 3796 hours while waiting to transfer patients off stretchers during March across the Metro South Hospital and Health Service.

At Metro North – the state’s largest HHS – 2702 hours were lost.

Across the state, 11,759 hours were lost during January, 8847 lost during February and 12,599 lost in March.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: David Clark

Meanwhile 68 per cent of patients brought via ambulance were forced to ramp at the Princess Alexandra Hospital also during March – the highest in the state for that month.

However at Maryborough and Gladstone Hospitals, 83 per cent of patients were transferred off stretchers within the recommended time frame of 30 minutes.

Ms D’Ath hit back at Mr Crisafulli, saying he was “running up the white flag on health with these comments.”

“Thankfully the LNP isn’t in government because they clearly think there’s no point in delivering more health funding – they think everything is too hard,” she said.

“We will deliver a record health budget next week and we will continue to invest in our public health system.”

The Premier last week said the June 21 state budget would include “record, record, record” health funding.

It comes as emergency doctors working at some of Brisbane’s busiest hospitals were pulled from their usual posts over the weekend to help at Caboolture Hospital.

Doctors at Caboolture reportedly sent urgent messages to other hospitals across the southeast asking for assistance in their ED on Saturday and Sunday.

In response, doctors from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and Redcliffe Hospital were sent to “prevent delay to patient care.”

A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed that “Caboolture Hospital has called upon Metro North Health medical resources over the weekend to assist with junior doctor staffing”.

“Caboolture Hospital has a shortage of resident medical officers in 2022, which was compounded by extenuating circumstances for staff absence over the weekend such as illness,” they said.