Photos show rising ramping stress at Gold Coast hospitals

Half-a-dozen ambulances filled with patients were lined up outside this Gold Coast hospital at six o’clock on Monday night — and another four were waiting round the corner.

HALF-A-DOZEN ambulances filled with patients were lined up outside Robina Hospital at six o’clock Monday night — and another four were waiting round the corner.

The photo taken by a Gold Coast Health staff member shows the extreme “ramping” strain at the emergency departments of the city’s two public hospitals.

The latest data from Queensland Health shows that in July 42 per cent of patients taken to Gold Coast University or Robina hospitals via ambulance waited on stretchers for longer than 30 minutes. The Queensland average was 31 per cent.

In January, the Gold Coast average was 29 per cent.

RAMPING AT SEQ HOSPITALS GETTING WORSE

A photo of the ramping taken at the Robina Hospital on Monday evening around 6pm.

ROBINA HOSPITAL NEXT TO BE UNDER PRESSURE FROM RAMPING

The average GCUH emergency wait time for all patients to be triaged is 23 minutes.

Despite the jump in ramping and an increase in admissions, hospital staff managed to treat more patients within clinically recommended times — an increase of 53 per cent in January to 56 per cent in July.

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“These aren’t just numbers in a spreadsheet — it’s your mum or your grandad or your son,” Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said.

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Ambulances queue on the ramp outside Gold Coast Hospital Accident and Emergency at Parkwood.

The State Opposition claims the rate of ambulance ramping across Queensland had almost doubled from 15 per cent when it was in government.

“The only reason hospitals are ramping is because there is nowhere to take them. It is not rocket science that this area is growing,” Ms Bates said.

“As a former ED nurse, I know our hardworking nurses, doctors, and paramedics need more help on the frontline.”

PATIENT OVERFLOW CAUSING RAMPING ON COAST

Ambulances parked at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Picture: Jerad Williams

Health Minister Seven Miles argued the LNP was attempting to “distract from their own record”.

“Our paramedics, doctors, nurses and clinicians work extremely hard and are doing a great job treating more people than ever before,” Mr Miles said.

Gold Coast hospitals treated 15,117 people in July — 5 per cent more than the same time last year.

“No-one who comes to an emergency department, whether by ambulance or not, is ever turned away. They receive world-class health care,” Mr Miles said.

“All across Queensland our hospitals are seeing and treating a record number of patients with demand for our hospital services increasing.

“Despite the additional demand for services every single one of our sickest patients were seen within the clinically recommended time.”