SA hits new ambulance ramping record

The state authorities this morning launched November figures exhibiting that ambulances spent 4285 hours exterior hospital entrances ready to confess sufferers, eclipsing the earlier report of 3968 hours in March this yr.

November’s delayed switch of care (TOC) figures are up 963 hours from October.

Delayed switch of care statistics (ambulance ramping) spiked to a report in November. Supply: SA Well being

Well being Minister Chris Picton attributed November’s end result to issues with SA Well being’s troubled digital medical data system, Dawn EMR, in addition to a rise in COVID shows.

However he additionally conceded the November figures had been “very disappointing” and there was “no spinning the outcomes”.

“This isn’t about excuses however there are some explanations in relation to November,” he informed reporters.

“We did see a big uplift when it comes to COVID shows.

“That has an affect when it comes to extra stress, nevertheless it additionally has an affect when it comes to the steps that employees must take when it comes to managing COVID sufferers and in addition the absence of employees when individuals are off sick with COVID themselves.

“However in the end, we’d like the capability in our system to handle these COVID peaks as a result of they’re going to proceed to occur.”

SA Well being will conduct a assessment – anticipated to take round 90 days – of the Dawn EMR system.

Picton stated the Dawn system was contributing to blockages in emergency departments. On days when it’s not working correctly, ramping time is on common 36 per cent greater, in line with SA Well being.

“We now have now seen… that the problems which are taking place when it comes to the EMR, notably after we see blockages and shutdowns in that system… causes will increase when it comes to ramping,” he stated.

“That inefficiency we see in that has a real-world affect when it comes to sufferers.”

Labor made well being the central concern of its 2022 election marketing campaign, with then Opposition chief Peter Malinauskas promising to “repair the ramping disaster”, whereas the ambulance union campaigned towards the Marshall Authorities.

The Opposition seized on the most recent figures at this time, saying they had been “nearly thrice worse than the previous Liberal Authorities’s final full month in workplace”.

“Peter Malinauskas’ primary election dedication was to repair ramping – however right here we’re, nearly two years later, and we’ve hit greater than 4,000 hours misplaced to the ramp for the primary time in our state’s historical past,”stated Liberal well being spokesperson Ashton Hurn.

“This unprecedented disaster is the equal of just about half a yr misplaced on the ramp exterior our emergency departments in only a single month.

“This can be a shameful milestone for South Australia’s healthcare system and the Malinauskas Labor Authorities.”

Picton’s workplace stated the Malinauskas Authorities had up to now dedicated $4.3 billion further to the well being system.

Requested how he may guarantee the general public the federal government would fulfil its well being election commitments, Picton stated: “As a result of we stated that it will take 4 years to do, and that’s as a result of it takes time to construct extra hospital beds, which is the important thing factor that we’d like.

“The important thing blockage within the emergency division is people who find themselves in an emergency division mattress however are ready for a mattress elsewhere within the hospital system,” he stated.

“That reduces the capability of the emergency division, makes it more durable to usher in individuals from the ramp, makes it more durable to get ambulances to reply on time.”

Picton stated the efficiency of ambulances has improved since Labor has come to authorities “as a result of we’ve been in a position to rapidly put in place extra ambulances”.

“You possibly can’t rapidly construct extra hospital beds, that does take time to do – we’re doing it as quick as attainable,” he stated.

Picton stated 150 extra hospital beds could be coming on-line subsequent yr as a part of a dedication so as to add 550 throughout the system.

Regardless of the rise in ramping, ambulance response instances for precedence one incidents – needing an ambulance inside eight minutes – marginally improved.

The share of precedence one callouts to obtain an ambulance inside eight minutes was 61.8 per cent, up from 61.5 per cent. The benchmark is 60 per cent.

However the share of precedence two callouts that had been met inside the designated timeframe (16 minutes) dropped to 53.5 per cent in November, down from 58.8 per cent.

The federal government stated earlier than the election they needed 85 per cent of precedence two callouts arriving on time. SA Well being’s dashboard is focusing on 90 per cent.

Supported by the Authorities of South Australia