❓ Mr. Cook questions the Minister for Health about increased ambulance ramping. The Minister acknowledges the issue, citing increased demand, funding pressures, and aged-care bed shortages, while outlining actions being taken to address the problem.
AnsweredQoN 781Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AMBULANCE RAMPING
781. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to the disastrous ambulance
ramping statistics for August and September, the two worst recorded months ever
in WA, each with over 2 000 hours.
(1) Why has the government's
decree to ban ambulance ramping failed so completely?
(2) Given that
winter is always busy and the Australian Medical Association stated in August
that the flu season was not particularly heavy, how has the minister let
ambulance ramping blow out to such unprecedented levels?
781. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for
Health:
I refer to the disastrous ambulance
ramping statistics for August and September, the two worst recorded months ever
in WA, each with over 2 000 hours.
(1) Why has the government's
decree to ban ambulance ramping failed so completely?
(2) Given that
winter is always busy and the Australian Medical Association stated in August
that the flu season was not particularly heavy, how has the minister let
ambulance ramping blow out to such unprecedented levels?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
(1)–(2) Our
excellent public hospital system is always under a lot of pressure,
particularly the large metropolitan hospitals which have very busy emergency
departments. Demand is continually increasing with an increasing population. As
much as this government puts in more and more taxpayer funding, expenditure has
virtually doubled in the time that we have been in government. It has increased
this financial year by 4.8 per cent—higher than the rate of increase in
funding or growth in expenditure in any other agency. There is always pressure
on our emergency departments. Unfortunately, that leads to some ramping, as it
is called. It does not necessarily mean that patients are retained in the back
of ambulance vehicles. I understand that ramping is defined to include
occasions when the patients are still being looked after in the ED by ambulance
officers. It is not an ideal situation, of course; however, there is no
question that patients are being well cared for. Having said that, I think that
ambulance ramping has increased more than is to be expected and reasonable. I have
communicated to all the major hospitals and health services across the state
that I expect more to be done—more proactive action to be taken to
ensure, for example, that when patients are able to be discharged, they are
discharged, that actions are taken by clinicians to ensure that patients are not
kept in hospital longer than is reasonably necessary, and to ensure that
patients are relocated to departure lounges when appropriate and where they
exist in hospitals.
One of the main reasons for
blockages occurring and excessive demand in emergency departments is not
because of the capacity of the emergency department itself, as I am sure the
member understands; it is because of the inability to move patients out of
emergency departments into beds when necessary. I have given one example of why
this problem has occurred. As I have said before, there has also been a significant
problem in recent months with about 150 aged-care patients who should be moving
to aged-care facilities still being accommodated in our hospitals—in
many cases in our tertiary hospitals—and occupying beds that should
really be occupied by patients who need acute treatment, in many cases coming
out of emergency departments.
Action is being taken. There is
always pressure. I have communicated to all the health services that I expect more
to be done, and further action is being taken.
(1)–(2) Our
excellent public hospital system is always under a lot of pressure,
particularly the large metropolitan hospitals which have very busy emergency
departments. Demand is continually increasing with an increasing population. As
much as this government puts in more and more taxpayer funding, expenditure has
virtually doubled in the time that we have been in government. It has increased
this financial year by 4.8 per cent—higher than the rate of increase in
funding or growth in expenditure in any other agency. There is always pressure
on our emergency departments. Unfortunately, that leads to some ramping, as it
is called. It does not necessarily mean that patients are retained in the back
of ambulance vehicles. I understand that ramping is defined to include
occasions when the patients are still being looked after in the ED by ambulance
officers. It is not an ideal situation, of course; however, there is no
question that patients are being well cared for. Having said that, I think that
ambulance ramping has increased more than is to be expected and reasonable. I have
communicated to all the major hospitals and health services across the state
that I expect more to be done—more proactive action to be taken to
ensure, for example, that when patients are able to be discharged, they are
discharged, that actions are taken by clinicians to ensure that patients are not
kept in hospital longer than is reasonably necessary, and to ensure that
patients are relocated to departure lounges when appropriate and where they
exist in hospitals.
One of the main reasons for
blockages occurring and excessive demand in emergency departments is not
because of the capacity of the emergency department itself, as I am sure the
member understands; it is because of the inability to move patients out of
emergency departments into beds when necessary. I have given one example of why
this problem has occurred. As I have said before, there has also been a significant
problem in recent months with about 150 aged-care patients who should be moving
to aged-care facilities still being accommodated in our hospitals—in
many cases in our tertiary hospitals—and occupying beds that should
really be occupied by patients who need acute treatment, in many cases coming
out of emergency departments.
Action is being taken. There is
always pressure. I have communicated to all the health services that I expect more
to be done, and further action is being taken.
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