South Australia has seen its worst month of ambulance ramping on record, with patients spending 4,285 hours waiting outside public hospitals.

Key points:

  • SA Health data shows ramping in the state has reached a record high
  • Patients spent 4,285 hours waiting outside public hospitals in November
  • The state’s health minister says the government is “throwing the kitchen sink” at increasing hospital capacity

November’s ramping hours is an increase of nearly 1,000 hours compared to the month before.

The SA Health figures also showed that ambulances spent 1,333 hours ramped outside the Royal Adelaide Hospital, in November, compared to 840 hours in October.

The ramping statistics come a day after doctors at the Royal Adelaide Hospital asked the SA Salaried Medical Officers Association to inspect the 69-bed emergency department, warning it was in “gridlock”.

Health Minister Chris Picton said the state government is “very disappointed” with the new data. 

He said a lack of capacity, an increase in COVID patients and pressures, and issues with electronic record systems has put extra strain on the hospital system. 

“There is no spinning that we are very disappointed with the November outcome but we know that the key thing we need is additional hospital capacity,” he said.

Chris Picton says the government is “very disappointed” with the ramping figures.(ABC News)

“We have the state government really throwing the kitchen sink at expanding emergency department, inpatient, whole of hospital capacity to our system,” he said.

Mr Picton said Premier Peter Malinauskas would be raising the issue of health funding “very frankly” with the Prime Minister at National Cabinet.

The minister said support from the Commonwealth was “stuck” below where it should be.

“We face a number of hurdles that are going to be talked about at National Cabinet today,” Mr Picton said.

“Any one time we have over 100 patients in our hospitals who don’t need to be in hospital anymore and are medically ready to be discharged, but we can’t get them into aged care across the board.”

Opposition health spokeswoman, Ashton Hurn, said an urgent solution was needed.

Ashton Hurn says the figures are “unacceptable”.(ABC News: Che Chorley)

“We are seeing record ramping and now we are seeing people who are shoulder-to-shoulder in the Royal Adelaide Hospital,” she said. 

“It’s just not acceptable.”

Meanwhile, an urgent review has been launched in a bid to improve the flow of the electronic medical records (EMR) system used by SA hospitals.

The Sunrise EMR system has been hit by numerous problems recently, including system outages impacting clinicians’ work across emergency departments.

SA Health chief executive, Robyn Lawrence, said the department was working with clinicians to find out what could be done to improve the system.

“That could be changes to the EMR, but it could also be some additional supports for clinicians within the EDs,” she said.

The work will take around three months.

Posted , updated