Questions over Qld govt’s ambulance ramping targets road map

Health Minister Tim Nicholls faces scrutiny over the government's promised road map to slash ambulance ramping, as Labor questions whether specific yearly targets exist.

Ambulance ramping at Cairns Hospital

• Editor’s view: Bad things in threes

The state government insists it has completed a road map to measure yearly progress on its pledge to slash ambulance ramping below 30 per cent by 2028, despite questions from Labor over whether the document exists outside broader health plans.

The 30 per cent ramping target is one of Premier David Crisafulli’s top health commitments and if not met, will see Health Minister Tim Nicholls removed from cabinet.

Mr Crisafulli during the state election promised to set “stepping stones” for the ambulance ramping target.

“We will roll out a road map with yearly stepping stones to get there,” he said.

“This is a road map to make sure that the days of escalation, of ambulance ramping become a thing of the past, and Queenslanders will see a plan to lower it year on year.”

Asked to clarify what the year-on-year ramping targets would be, Mr Crisafulli said it would be included in the LNP’s first budget.

The state government has argued this year-on-year plan is the overall health strategy – funded in the June budget – as it aims to reduce pressures that lead to ambulance ramping.

However a Queensland Health document dated May 2025 and seen by The Courier-Mail outlines government commitments ahead of the budget, including the Premier’s promised “stepping stones” road map to improve patient flow.

The document shows the road map was “on track” and due on July 31.

Mr Nicholls was on Tuesday asked by Opposition health spokesman Mark Bailey when Queenslanders would see annual ramping KPIs.

“The health plan is addressing it,” Mr Nicholls said.

A spokesman for Mr Nicholls said later clarified that the road map of annual ramping targets was actually part of the government’s “Easier Access to Health Services Plan”.

“Including the fully-funded Hospital Rescue Plan, transit lounges, growing the health workforce, new CTs and MRIs and 7 day discharges,” he said.

That plan is yet to set measurable deadlines or targets for hospital builds.

Ramping rates -which measure how often patients and paramedics are left waiting outside hospital emergency departments longer than 30 minutes – hit record high levels in July.

A shocking 47.8 per cent of patients were ramped outside longer than the recommended time frame at the top 26 hospitals across the state, surpassing Labor’s previous record of 46.9 per cent.

This figure began trending downwards in August, improving slightly to 45.6 per cent.

Mr Nicholls will need to cut the figure another 15.7 per cent by the 2028 state election to meet Mr Crisafulli’s ramping goal.

Originally published as Questions over Qld govt’s ambulance ramping targets road map