Ambulance ramping rates improve but remain well below Crisafulli’s election pledge

The number of Queenslanders waiting in hospitals for urgent care has improved slightly, according to a new auditor’s report, but emergency department performance remains significantly below the Crisafulli government’s electoral pledge, as pressure mounts to drive down ramping.

The analysis of public hospital performance by the auditor-general found a 4.5 per cent increase in demand for emergency department services across the state in the past five years, with the Sunshine Coast and West Moreton experiencing the greatest rises in demand.

While the number of emergency presentations steadied over the past financial year, fewer than 50 per cent of patients were treated in under four hours – two percentage points worse than the year before, and significantly below the overall target of 80 per cent.

The knock-on effect of this was revealed in ambulance performance rates, with 41 per cent of patients ramped for longer than the recommended time in 26 of the state’s top public hospitals.

“Overall, ambulance ramping has shown an improvement of 3 percentage points compared to last year,” according to the Queensland Audit Office.

“However, ramping continues to be an ongoing challenge in some areas, as demand for emergency services continues to increase.”

Improving emergency department performance was a key pillar of the Liberal-National government’s election victory in 2024, when it promised to drive down ramping to below 30 per cent by the next poll in 2028.

Despite an overall improvement compared to the year prior, hospitals in Brisbane, West Moreton and the Gold Coast showed the biggest rates of ambulance ramping over the reporting period.

Ramping is linked to the number of patients presenting to hospitals, the availability of beds to transfer patients from emergency departments, and the inability to discharge patients from hospitals.

The increased pressure on emergency services was further reflected by a 4 per cent rise in the average length of stay for patients compared to the year prior, with more people also waiting longer to receive specialist care.

Hospitals in Mackay and West Moreton showed the largest increase in patients staying longer in hospitals. This was partially driven by demand from older patients, many clinically ready for discharge but unable to be transferred to suitable accommodation, such as an aged care facility.

Figures from the end of last year show nearly 1300 elderly or disabled patients left stranded in Queensland hospitals while waiting for accommodation, an issue the Crisafulli government has repeatedly lobbied the federal government over.

As of July 1, nearly 117,000 patients were awaiting outpatient specialist care – an increase of 15 per cent on the previous year.

The report also pointed to significant financial pressures, with the department and hospital and health services posting a combined deficit of $960.6 million – higher than any other year.

This was driven by Queensland’s growing population, increased clinical demand, and lack of investment in health infrastructure.

While additional funding has been allocated to improve existing infrastructure, mounting debts were causing some hospitals to delay maintenance works, potentially compromising patient care and safety.

Several examples were outlined in the report, including an incident last year when a boiler at a major south-east Queensland hospital failed, forcing the temporary shutdown of operating theatres as there was no steam to sterilise equipment.

In another example, the imminent failure of operational infrastructure almost forced the closure of the Queensland Tissue Bank, which could have compromised human tissue donated for transplants.

The auditor’s office also noted “the government has committed additional funding to address historic shortfalls”, and recommended hospitals address the backlog of asset maintenance, prioritising high-risk works, as first proposed in a report from 2020-21.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government would “continue to pull every lever possible to reduce ambulance ramping to 30 per cent and heal the health crisis we inherited” and pointed to its recently announced Hospital Rescue Plan.

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