Toowoomba Hospital: Ramping crisis deepens as elderly father with heart failure waits hours for bed

Queensland’s hospital ramping crisis has deepened after an 88-year-old man suffering congestive heart failure waited on a stretcher in a hallway for more than six hours. It comes as the state experiences a surge in emergency room arrivals.

The family of an 88-year-old man who was ramped at the Toowoomba Hospital for seven hours while suffering congestive heart failure said the was systemic problems with resourcing at the hospital. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The family of a man ramped at the Toowoomba Hospital for more than six hours while suffering congestive heart failure says overcrowding is putting lives at risk. 

Emma* said her 88-year-old father had a series of heart surgeries at Princess Alexandra Hospital at the start of August, which included the installation of a stent and pacemaker, and a bypass.

After he was discharged to his Toowoomba home, complications set in and a build-up of fluid led to congestive heart failure on August 22.

Emma said her father arrived at Toowoomba Hospital about 8.30am but was not transferred to a bed until 3pm.

It is understood he spent that time on a stretcher in the Emergency Department hallway, under the joint care of Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics and Queensland Health staff.

“He is 88-years-old, a diabetic with several comorbidities and they kept him in an ambulance stretcher for seven hours,” she said.

“There was absolute gridlock.”

When Emma heard her father was waiting on a stretcher, she picked up the phone and queried hospital administration staff until a bed was found.

“I was told by the hospital staff that everything was full, even the gurneys in the hallways,” she said.

“As a nurse I find what happened extremely concerning.

“The staff are running as fast as they can to treat everyone, but they are not miracle workers, they can’t do everything.

“If your hospital is full and they are ramping patients then something is systematically wrong.”

Queensland Health’s target for ambulance arrivals is to have them off their stretcher and admitted to the hospital within 30 minutes.

It is understood it took about six hours to find Emma’s father a bed because the hospital had a high concentration of category one and two emergency patients that were more urgent.

In the days that followed, Emma’s father was transferred back to Princess Alexandra Hospital where he was treated and discharged.

His wife Lois* said he was recovering and thanked Toowoomba Hospital staff for their care and dedication.

Despite this, she said it was concerning how many patients were ramped. 

“Ramping is not just a problem in Toowoomba, it is everywhere,” she said.

“My husband said there were patients coming and coming and the staff were just lining them up.

“The biggest issue for me was that I wasn’t able to be with him but I do understand why they couldn’t have a heap for visitors with him.

“A doctor did come to see him in the ambulance and do testing and triage.

“That was a positive for me.”

The Queensland Ambulance Service lost 1373 hours to hospital ramping in the Darling Downs between January and March this year. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Ramping remains an issue across Queensland.

From January to March 2024, the Queensland Ambulance Service received 22,263 more calls and transported 9,075 more patients to hospital compared to the same time in the

previous year, according to data released by the Queensland parliament.

QAS also saw its busiest day on record for triple-0 calls during that quarter – more than 4000 in a single day.

From January to March this year QAS lost 1373 hours - or 57 days - to ramping in the Darling Downs. 

Across Queensland it lost 43,439 hours, with an 8 per cent increase in hours lost compared to the same period in 2023.

When asked about the man's case, a Darling Downs Health spokeswoman said the Toowoomba Hospital Emergency Department was busier than ever.

“In the June performance data, 100 per cent of life-threatening presentations (Category 1) to our Emergency Departments were seen within the clinically recommended time frame of within two minutes,” she said.

“During the same time period Toowoomba Hospital recorded five Tier 3 Escalations, with an average duration of 48 hours and 5 minutes.”

A Tier 3 escalation is an internal process the Hospital and Health Service activates at times of extreme demand, to ensure efficient management of patients.

Patient capacity is expanded to include private hospitals, some lower category surgeries are suspended and the patient load is shared across the hospital network.

It is understood this man’s situation was not during a Tier 3 escalation.

“Through our well-established and collaborative relationship with the Queensland Ambulance Service, we ensure patients are assessed inside our Emergency Department’s throughout the course of their care, not in ambulance vehicles,” the DDH spokeswoman said.

“Darling Downs Health has acknowledged the continuing demand across our facilities for some time.

“Members of the community who can’t access primary healthcare are presenting to our hospital and health services with higher levels of acuity than in the past.

“Our clinical staff make complicated and complex medical decisions and carry out lifesaving interventions daily.

“The community deserves to be proud of the capability and compassion of these professionals who continue to deliver high-quality care to those who need it most.”

*Names changed for privacy reasons. 

Originally published as Toowoomba Hospital: Ramping crisis deepens as elderly father with heart failure waits hours for bed