PATIENTS are being forced to wait nearly eight hours in ambulances and hallways at Brisbane Hospitals in another sign the chaotic Palaszczuk Labor Government is losing control of the Queensland Health Crisis.
In a response to a Parliamentary Question on Notice by the LNP Opposition, new Queensland Health figures revealed the longest ambulance ramping wait times patients experienced last year.
The longest times paramedics and patients spent ramped in Brisbane between August and December 2022 include:
• 7 hours 56 minutes in December 2022 at Logan Hospital
• 7 hours 56 minutes in August 2022 at Redland Hospital
• 7 hours 55 minutes in August 2022 at Redcliffe Hospital
• 7 hours 49 minutes in September 2022 at Caboolture Hospital
• 7 hours 37 minutes in September 2022 at Prince Charles Hospital
• 7 hours 35 minutes in September 2022 at Ipswich Hospital
• 7 hours 33 minutes in December 2022 at Royal Brisbane Hospital
• 7 hours 32 minutes in December 2022 at Mater Public Hospital
• 6 hours 07 minutes in October 2022 at Queensland Children’s Hospital
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates slammed the times as unacceptable and said it’s another example of how the chaos and crisis of the Palaszczuk Labor Government was affecting patients and paramedics every week.
“This is the devastating impact ambulance ramping has on our health system,” Ms Bates said.
“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it is for patients who must wait seven hours at the end of a ramp for a hospital bed.
“Paramedics didn’t sign up for this vocation to spend an entire shift ramped while other calls go unanswered by Queenslanders in their hour of need.
“The chaos and crisis within the Palaszczuk Labor Government is making the Queensland Health Crisis even worse.
“After three terms, eight years and four Health Ministers, the Palaszczuk Labor Government is no longer listening to Queenslanders.
“The Opposition has put solutions on the table including better resources, improving triaging, real time data monitoring and giving power back to local doctors and nurses.
“Instead of embarking on a state-wide PR blitz to bolster her shattered image as the worst Child Safety Minister in Queensland, Shannon Fentiman needs to listen to Queenslanders and our world-renowned medical experts to fix the health crisis.
“Patient care, not self-promotion, must be the top priority.
“My message to our hard-working doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals is simple. We thank you, we value you and we respect everything you do.”