New State Government data reveals ambulance ramping is soaring in Gympie, on the
Sunshine Coast, and across the state as the Queensland Health Crisis deepens.
The new figures show more than 30% of patients are now spending more than 30 minutes in
loading bays waiting to be admitted for treatment at Gympie Hospital.
At the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, it’s even worse at 51% and at Nambour almost
half of all patients are left waiting in ambulances outside the hospital. *
Ramping means there are less ambulances available to answer calls for help.
These figures are for the month of June which is the latest available data the State
Government is willing to release.
The information was supplied as part of a parliamentary Question on Notice.
This backs up what I’m hearing directly from constituents on a daily basis.
No wonder the Government won’t release the Master Clinical Services Plan which was due
in February last year.
Last month the Auditor General (QAO) found that Gympie hospital has not met clinical
recommended targets for the emergency department and ambulance ramping. **
These are the front-line services, often the first experience when you go to hospital.
In the June quarter ambulance ramping was 29% which is an increase of 9.3% over the same
period last year. This is not the fault of Covid.
The QAO said Queensland ambulance ramping is worsening and “this target has not been
met at the statewide level in the past seven years.”
These are not the only issues being faced at the local hospital.
The paediatric ward is not functioning, services are under stress, patients are transferred to
the Sunshine Coast.
The Minister has said that they have plans to have the paediatric ward running 24/7 and they
have plans to increase the scope and types of patients to be treated at inpatients by the end of
this month. ***
Astonishingly the Minister said it all depends on whether they recruit the staff. The staffing
issue has been there for almost a year.
So really what we know is that the bureaucracy has been making plans and that they still
don’t have the staff after almost a year.
The children’s ward is not the only problem at the hospital. In some cases, services are
removed altogether. No one finds out until they notice a change in what’s provided, or a loss
of services.
There is a lack of transparency, a culture of secrecy, cover ups and stalling.
That’s why it’s taken the Auditor General (QAO) and now a response to a Parliamentary
Question to release information which is being experienced by locals.
I’m frequently raising the problems with our health services.
The Health Minister ignores the problems at Gympie Hospital.
I wrote to the Minster three times about the paediatric ward.
She ignored every it until the same day that she had to publicly respond to the petition about
the paediatric ward.
It’s not good enough.
The Gympie hospital is failing us.
If the local hospital cannot provide the level of service this community deserves, then we
need to start planning for a new one.
15 October 2021
Contact: Tony Perrett 5329 5100
* Question on Notice 915
*** Answer to Petition