The AEA is horrified to hear the Government announce today that ramping hours for July 2024 have reached record levels of over 5,500 hours – equivalent to 15 ambulance crews ramped, unavailable for the community, every single day.
Our members are working their whole 12 hour shifts on the ramp. They’re often working those 12 hour shifts without a break. Their patients are left suffering for hours on end. On July 23rd an elderly patient was ramped for 12.5 hours.
In the words of our member, Alex remarked through tears, “we’re left to rot on the ramp”
Even critically unwell patients cannot get into Hospitals. On many occasions this month, and again this very morning, Priority 2 patients who should be seen within 10 minutes, are ramped for 2-3 hours at Flinders Medical Centre. This is unacceptably dangerous.
Community ambulance response times are deteriorating as a direct result of ramping. We are again hearing from members of multiple life-threating conditions left waiting uncovered in the community whilst crews are ramped. This puts patients in the community at significant risk.
AEA General Secretary Leah Watkins states “5,550 hours of ramping must be a moment for the Government to stop and reassess all actions they are taking to fix ramping.”
There are multiple policies in place right now that could free up Ambulance that are stuck on hospital ramps to respond to the community and reduce ramping hours, policies that are not being followed by the Department. The Government needs to take all necessary steps to ensure the Department actions all existing policies so that Ambulances can respond to patients left waiting in the community.
As a matter of urgency, the recommendations from the Ramping Review Report conducted by Professor Keith McNeil and Dr Bill Griggs need to be implemented. The risk to patients needs to be spread across the Health system so that those most at risk, in the community waiting for an ambulance, are given a fighting chance.
We need barriers to discharge removed. There remains a significant reduction in discharges of patients over weekends, which leads to a clogged hospital system and significant ramping by Monday.
“The decision by Health CE Robyn Lawrence today, to stand down the Code Yellow on Friday 16th of August is disgraceful” said Watkins, adding “to call the Code Yellow a success whilst ramping hours have reached worst levels on record is simply unbelievable, and is disrespectful to patients languishing in the community, waiting for an Ambulance.” The Health system is in crisis and the Department believes this is the time to revert to business-as-usual, “this decision must be immediately reversed” said Watkins.
The AEA continues to call for ongoing measures which still have yet to be implemented across the system including adherence to existing demand policies, rapid-off-load beds, transit wards at all metropolitan hospitals, better coordinated interhospital transfers and continued investment into staffing and in-patient beds.
Authorised by AEA General Secretary Leah Watkins