SA ambulance ramping plummets from October peak

South Australia’s hospital ramping crisis has improved dramatically since its October peak, new data suggests.

Ambulance ramping has halved since the October peak, the latest data shows, at the same time as it surges as an election issue.

February saw 1522 hours lost in ambulance “transfer of care” at hospitals across the state – a 47 per cent drop from the October peak and the lowest figure since December 2020.

It continues the steady decline in hours lost to ramping since October and follows the 1891 hours lost in January.

Labor has made multiple promises to fund ambulances, paramedics and a new ambulance headquarters to reduce ramping without actually pledging to end it, and highlighted ramping at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Monday night.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital ambulance bay in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dean Martin

Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said the government’s record investment in health, including the development of alternative care pathways and post-discharge opportunities, and the recent boost to bed capacity, are having a significant impact.

“While Labor wants to fearmonger, the latest data is proof that we are making significant progress on reducing ramping in South Australia,” he said.

“We’ve upgraded every suburban hospital, expanded emergency departments and we’re delivering a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital – another project Labor shelved.”

He said there were now more doctors, nurses and ambulance staff in South Australia than ever before.

However, Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said ramping in the first two months of this year is more than three times worse than the corresponding period of the previous Labor government at 3413 hours compared to 1170 hours.

“Comparing the last calendar year under Labor with the last calendar year under the Liberals, ramping is a shocking 485 per cent worse under the Liberals,” he said.

“Even if you compare the previous 12 months with the corresponding period under Labor, ramping is still 395 per cent worse under the Liberals.

So whichever way the Liberals slice and dice these numbers, it is shockingly bad.”

Originally published as SA ambulance ramping plummets from October peak