❓ Opposition MP Mettam questions the Health Minister on ambulance ramping and the effectiveness of the taskforce addressing it. The Minister responds by highlighting increased demand and government investment in healthcare.
AnsweredQoN 528Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Ambulance ramping528.Ms Libby Mettamto
theMinister for Health:I refer to the
health annual reports tabled this week that show on average only 15% of people
who presented at emergency departments at metropolitan tertiary hospitals with
potentially life-threatening conditions were seen within the recommended
half-hour window and the fact that our hospitals have experienced three
straight months of over 7,000 hours of ambulance ramping.(1) How often has the ambulance ramping taskforce
met during these three record ramping months?(2) What recommendations of the taskforce are
being implemented to arrest record ramping across the state?
theMinister for Health:I refer to the
health annual reports tabled this week that show on average only 15% of people
who presented at emergency departments at metropolitan tertiary hospitals with
potentially life-threatening conditions were seen within the recommended
half-hour window and the fact that our hospitals have experienced three
straight months of over 7,000 hours of ambulance ramping.(1) How often has the ambulance ramping taskforce
met during these three record ramping months?(2) What recommendations of the taskforce are
being implemented to arrest record ramping across the state?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
16 October 2025
Response time
0 days
Ms Meredith Hammat replied:(1)–(2) I thank the member for the
question. The annual reports that have been released this week tell a story
that we have already been aware of in the community. That is that there have
been record levels of demand, particularly as we have moved through this
winter. We know that demand has been driven by a growing population, by the
needs of our ageing population—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse, you have asked the
question. Please listen to the response.Ms Meredith Hammat:—and also by what is the
worst flu season on record in Western Australia. People who have read those
annual reports would have seen that in the year covered by them, there were
1.175 million ED attendances in Western Australia, 700,000 admissions and 4.3 million
attendances at outpatient clinics around the state. Our health system is
delivering record amounts of care because we are experiencing—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party!Ms Meredith Hammat:We are experiencing record demand
and that is why we are making record investments into our health system. We
have invested $14.2 billion across the system in this year's budget, and $3.7
billion—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader
of the National Party!Ms Meredith Hammat:There was $3.7 billion committed
in our health infrastructure program. We have been on the record in this place
about the work that we are doing in relation to—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, I am
calling you for the first time.Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party! Carry on,
minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:The work that we are doing in
respect of ramping—I have talked in this place before about the
additional beds, 900 new beds, that this government has delivered since 2021.
The additional—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members of the opposition!Ms Meredith Hammat:The additional staff that this
government has committed to our health system—500 additional nurses,
1,900 additional doctors—is part of the work that we are doing every
day. That is why, just a matter of weeks ago, I was with the Minister for Preventative
Health announcing that next year, for our winter season, we have invested $4.78
million to deliver 130,000 free intranasal influenza vaccines for children aged
two to 12 for 2026. FluMist is a game changer for children—not just
children, but also for their parents, because it protects their parents and it
protects communities as well. That is why last month I was with the Minister
for Health Infrastructure and the Treasurer to announce our $500 million health
infrastructure fund to supercharge—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members of the opposition, you are making
it very difficult for the ministers to respond to your questions. If you have
thoughts of questions while you are sitting there, hang on to them and then get
up and ask them when you get the chance. Carry on, minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:That is excellent advice, Mr
Speaker. That is to supercharge our commitments to deliver our $3.7 billion
infrastructure pipeline, which includes upgrades at Royal Perth Hospital,
upgrades at Midland Hospital, plus the upgrades that are currently occurring at
Geraldton and Bunbury, the largest regional hospital upgrade ever. It is why we
have—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse, I am calling you for
the first time.Ms Sandra Brewerinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, I am calling you
for the first time as well. Carry on, minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:That is why in August I was with
the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors to announce 11 additional Time to Think
beds. We know that one of the things that has compounded the demand this season
has been the record number of older Western Australians in our health system
who are medically cleared for discharge but do not have an appropriate place to
receive the care they need. They do not have access to aged care and do not have
access to home-care packages. We have been responding to that and our Time to Think
program has been a really important way of transitioning those Western
Australians out of hospital and into appropriate care. As I said, in August we
announced an additional 11 beds, bringing the total to 53—a $9.9 million
investment to ease that.Point of orderMr Liam Staltari:The member for Vasse asked specific
questions about the taskforce itself. There has been no answer with respect to
its meetings, and I wonder whether the minister knows the answer.The Speaker:Thank you, member. I will not be
upholding that point of order. Ministers can respond how they see fit.Questions without notice resumedMs Meredith Hammat:I knew the member would be very
keen to hear about all the work we are doing in this area.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Meredith Hammat:That is why the Time to Think beds
have been an important part of our program on top of the work that we are doing
to roll out the low-interest loans, to improve investments in aged-care reforms,
the work we have done with the State Health Operations Centre and extending the
WA Virtual EmergencyDepartment. That is why we are
working with the Commonwealth to deliver the urgent care clinics, and deliveringour own older adult health hubs. We have a range of initiatives that are
addressing the record demands that our system has experienced. We have record
investments in infrastructure. The work that we are doing is ongoing. Of course,
we meet regularly with the ambulance ramping task force. It meets monthly. We
will continue to work with the ambulance ramping task force, but the work is
ongoing. We do not just think about it.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Meredith Hammat:The work is ongoing. The work that
we are doing as a government, our consideration of how we improve capacity in
our system, is not something that we just think about when the ambulance
ramping task force meets, member. We think about it regularly and we are always
looking at what more we can do.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!
Ambulance ramping
question. The annual reports that have been released this week tell a story
that we have already been aware of in the community. That is that there have
been record levels of demand, particularly as we have moved through this
winter. We know that demand has been driven by a growing population, by the
needs of our ageing population—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse, you have asked the
question. Please listen to the response.Ms Meredith Hammat:—and also by what is the
worst flu season on record in Western Australia. People who have read those
annual reports would have seen that in the year covered by them, there were
1.175 million ED attendances in Western Australia, 700,000 admissions and 4.3 million
attendances at outpatient clinics around the state. Our health system is
delivering record amounts of care because we are experiencing—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party!Ms Meredith Hammat:We are experiencing record demand
and that is why we are making record investments into our health system. We
have invested $14.2 billion across the system in this year's budget, and $3.7
billion—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader
of the National Party!Ms Meredith Hammat:There was $3.7 billion committed
in our health infrastructure program. We have been on the record in this place
about the work that we are doing in relation to—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, I am
calling you for the first time.Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party! Carry on,
minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:The work that we are doing in
respect of ramping—I have talked in this place before about the
additional beds, 900 new beds, that this government has delivered since 2021.
The additional—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members of the opposition!Ms Meredith Hammat:The additional staff that this
government has committed to our health system—500 additional nurses,
1,900 additional doctors—is part of the work that we are doing every
day. That is why, just a matter of weeks ago, I was with the Minister for Preventative
Health announcing that next year, for our winter season, we have invested $4.78
million to deliver 130,000 free intranasal influenza vaccines for children aged
two to 12 for 2026. FluMist is a game changer for children—not just
children, but also for their parents, because it protects their parents and it
protects communities as well. That is why last month I was with the Minister
for Health Infrastructure and the Treasurer to announce our $500 million health
infrastructure fund to supercharge—Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members of the opposition, you are making
it very difficult for the ministers to respond to your questions. If you have
thoughts of questions while you are sitting there, hang on to them and then get
up and ask them when you get the chance. Carry on, minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:That is excellent advice, Mr
Speaker. That is to supercharge our commitments to deliver our $3.7 billion
infrastructure pipeline, which includes upgrades at Royal Perth Hospital,
upgrades at Midland Hospital, plus the upgrades that are currently occurring at
Geraldton and Bunbury, the largest regional hospital upgrade ever. It is why we
have—Ms Libby Mettaminterjected.The Speaker:Member for Vasse, I am calling you for
the first time.Ms Sandra Brewerinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, I am calling you
for the first time as well. Carry on, minister.Ms Meredith Hammat:That is why in August I was with
the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors to announce 11 additional Time to Think
beds. We know that one of the things that has compounded the demand this season
has been the record number of older Western Australians in our health system
who are medically cleared for discharge but do not have an appropriate place to
receive the care they need. They do not have access to aged care and do not have
access to home-care packages. We have been responding to that and our Time to Think
program has been a really important way of transitioning those Western
Australians out of hospital and into appropriate care. As I said, in August we
announced an additional 11 beds, bringing the total to 53—a $9.9 million
investment to ease that.Point of orderMr Liam Staltari:The member for Vasse asked specific
questions about the taskforce itself. There has been no answer with respect to
its meetings, and I wonder whether the minister knows the answer.The Speaker:Thank you, member. I will not be
upholding that point of order. Ministers can respond how they see fit.Questions without notice resumedMs Meredith Hammat:I knew the member would be very
keen to hear about all the work we are doing in this area.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Meredith Hammat:That is why the Time to Think beds
have been an important part of our program on top of the work that we are doing
to roll out the low-interest loans, to improve investments in aged-care reforms,
the work we have done with the State Health Operations Centre and extending the
WA Virtual EmergencyDepartment. That is why we are
working with the Commonwealth to deliver the urgent care clinics, and deliveringour own older adult health hubs. We have a range of initiatives that are
addressing the record demands that our system has experienced. We have record
investments in infrastructure. The work that we are doing is ongoing. Of course,
we meet regularly with the ambulance ramping task force. It meets monthly. We
will continue to work with the ambulance ramping task force, but the work is
ongoing. We do not just think about it.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Ms Meredith Hammat:The work is ongoing. The work that
we are doing as a government, our consideration of how we improve capacity in
our system, is not something that we just think about when the ambulance
ramping task force meets, member. We think about it regularly and we are always
looking at what more we can do.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!
Ambulance ramping
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