Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry to examine ambulance ramping

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff in parliament on Wednesday successfully moved a motion to establish an inquiry that would look at the effect ramping had on patient safety, ambulance response times and availability, wellbeing of healthcare staff, and on the emergency department and other hospital functions.

The select committee is to look at the adequacy of the state government's reporting of ambulance ramping and data collection as well as its general response to ramping and the efficacy of any measures taken to reduce it.

READ MORE: George Town family battling disability homeless for more than a year

It will call for information on actions that could be taken by the state government in the short, medium, and long term to address the causes and effects of ambulance ramping.

The government moved some minor amendments to the terms of reference during debate which were supported.

Dr Woodruff said data analysed by the Australian Medical Association showed that 8 per cent of patients taken to hospital by ambulance were ramped in 2015-16.

READ MORE: International buyers keen on $3m East Coast getaway

"The number now is close to 40 per cent," she said.

"That means two in five patients who have to go to hospital in an ambulance are ramped."

Dr Woodruff said from July to March in 2021-22, the total time patients were ramped at Tasmania's hospitals was just over 20,000 hours.

READ MORE: Building new Northern prison a mistake, reformer group says

"Across the same period in the next year, that number had increased to over 31,000 hours," she said.

"That's a 50-per-cent uptick in one single year."

Labor's health spokeswoman Anita Dow said ambulance ramping had devastating consequences for patients and families, but also healthcare workers.

She said ramping was the symptom of a health system in crisis.

"And it's a symptom of a health system that isn't supporting and looking after our healthcare professionals in the way that it should," Ms Dow said.

Health Minister Guy Barnett said the Liberals during their time in government had increased the healthcare workforce by 2300 positions, which included 220 paramedics.

He said an inquiry into ambulance ramping was welcomed by the government as it was caused by a range of reasons.

Mr Barnett said it was important to distinguish between the responsibilities that different levels of government had within the health system as primary healthcare was a responsibility of the federal government.

"And frankly, the federal government does need to step up and do more to sort this out," he said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: