No Budget fix for Logan and Gold Coast named in Qld’s 10 worst ramping hospitals

Startling statistics have revealed a patient was left on a stretcher for eight hours in Queensland’s worst ramping case in the past six months. CHECK OUT THE LIST

Tomorrow’s federal budget was not expected to include increased funding to reduce hospital waiting times despite startling statistics showing a patient spent eight hours on a stretcher waiting to be admitted to a southeast Queensland public hospital.

Logan Hospital, south of Brisbane, recorded the longest off-stretcher waiting time, also known as ramping, with a patient kept on a stretcher for 480 minutes.

However, it was Gold Coast University Hospital which fared the worst over the six months from August last year.

In the hospital’s worst five case scenarios, patients at the Gold Coast were kept on stretchers from ambulances for an average of 456 minutes, or more than seven hours.

Logan Hospital had the second highest off-stretcher waiting time average over the six months, followed by Ipswich, Prince Charles, Caboolture, Princess Alexandra, Sunshine Coast, Robina, Mater Public and Redland.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the pressure on the Queensland health system was not unique and all states had begged for more funding in tomorrow’s budget.

She said Queensland wanted the federal government to meet it halfway with 50:50 funding and lift a 6.5 per cent funding growth cap.

“The Commonwealth have completely walked away from their direct responsibility of primary and allied health care in this country,” she said.

“ … Medicare has not been adjusted for years … we have no new GPs opening up in regions to support the pressure that is faced in those remote communities.”

Patient Off Stretcher Time refers to the time it takes for patients arriving at an emergency department via ambulance, to arrive in the appropriate treatment area.

Queensland Hospitals and Health Services staff should achieve 90 per cent of transfers within 30 minutes.

Gold Coast and Logan named as worst ramping hospitals. Shadow Health spokeswoman Ros Bates said people were dying waiting for ambulances.

Shadow Health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the health system had been in decline for seven years and unfortunately Logan and the Gold Coast were at the front of the slide.

“The health system was in crisis long before Covid-19 and it is simply unacceptable that now one-in-two ambulances are ramped at Logan,” she said.

“Ramping is just the tip of the iceberg for a system in crisis. When ramping is rife, it means Queenslanders cannot trust that an ambulance is going to arrive in their hour of need.

“It means when your child is having an asthma attack, your father a heart attack or your grandmother has a fall, you can’t trust that an ambulance is coming.”

Ms Bates said the LNP solutions included real-time health data, better resourcing, improved triaging and empowering frontline doctors and nurses to run hospitals.

Originally published as No Budget fix for Logan and Gold Coast named in Qld’s 10 worst ramping hospitals