Cairns QAS: Call to charge fees for ambulance call outs as ramping blows out

A paramedic has claimed hundreds of hours are wasted on non-emergency calls-outs as Cairns Hospital ramping jumps 8 per cent, but calls to bring Queensland into line with other states has been ruled out. Join the conversation

A Cairns-based paramedic has claimed hundreds of wasted ambulance hours can be blamed on non-emergency calls-outs made by people abusing the system.

But the state government has ruled out bringing Queensland into line with all other states to charge for medical transport.

According to the latest Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service data, all life threatening cases were seen to within clinically recommended times. However only 75 per cent of category 2 and 73 per cent of category 3 patients were attended within the suggested time limit.

Ambulance ramping out the front of the Cairns Hospital emergency department. Picture: Peter Carruthers

December quarter ramping data revealed an 8 per cent year-on-year increase of patients waiting on stretchers for treatment at Cairns Hospital.

Despite unprecedented demand that equated to an increase of 20 per cent surge of category 1 patients, due to closure of other facilities impacted by flooding, Health and Ambulance Services Minister Shannon Fentiman said staff still managed to ensure patients were seen to on time.

“I want to thank the hardworking frontline staff from the Cairns Hospital and Health Services who have worked through a challenging few weeks due to natural disasters,” she said.

However Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates blamed ramping increases on a Labor Government in “chaos and crisis”.

But of most concern to a Cairns-based Queensland Ambulance Service officer was the skyrocketing number of least serious cases requiring hospital treatment that increased 38 per cent in the three months to December last year.

He suggested patients found to be misusing the system by wasting paramedic time for minor injuries should be fined.

“People are ringing ambulances for non-emergencies and it’s really annoying,” he said.

“It what is causing the bottleneck at the emergency department, big time.

“I think what’s going to happen is they are going to have to start charging them, like they do in Victoria.”

Queensland is the only Australian state to not charge an ambulance call out fee which can be as high as $1894 in regional areas of the nation plus a charge per kilometre.

Despite much higher population adjusted ambulance call outs, compared with New South Wales and Victoria, Ms Fentiman ruled hitting patients with an ambulance fee.

“We are absolutely committed to making sure that Queensland has continued to get a free and excellent service,” she said.

“We have free service and we’re proud of that.”

Queensland Ambulance Service acting Far Northern region assistant commissioner Brina Keating acknowledged the demands on the Far North health system but stopped short of labelling the situation a crisis.

She said screening calls, diverting non-emergency callers to other services, a mental health car staffed by a paramedic and the Cairns South Health Facility in Edmonton helped to ease ramping and ambulance wait times but the system remained under pressure.

“There is demands on the system and particularly after hours when GPs aren’t open and the only option is to go through to the hospital,” she said.

“Sometimes at night-time that can be a pressure because some people don’t necessarily want to burden the hospital but they’re just not sure who to call.

“We have had a number of patients where they will constantly ring for our services that we call a frequent presenter.

Queensland Ambulance Service Acting Assistant Commissioner for the Far Northern region Brina Keating in the communications room at the Queensland Ambulance Service Cairns operations centre at Manunda. Picture: Brendan Radke

“But I think we’ve got a really good system to flag those patients so they stopped calling.

“And at school holiday times we do get a lot more calls (from) kids that the prank call from phone boxes.

“Do we get the boils? Do we get ‘I’ve cut my finger?’ yes, but not (at the level) we used to.”

She said to reduce pressure on the system it was important that the community knew about alternate health supports before picking up the phone and calling triple 0.

“If someone’s injured or requires urgent medical assistance do call for an ambulance,” she said.

“But if we don’t think that you need an ambulance we will call you back and we will have a conversation around that.”

Act Asst Comm Keating backed the Minister’s call not to introduce an ambulance call out fee which she said was about healthcare equality.

“I believe that having a service that doesn’t put those barriers up gives people the opportunity to reach out so we can address those health needs before they become quite chronic,” she said.

Follow @petercarruther1

Originally published as Cairns QAS: Call to charge fees for ambulance call outs as ramping blows out