Blog
Ambulance ramping hits all-time record
Thursday July 1, 2021
In June 2021, the trend for ambulance ramping (the time patients spent waiting in ambulances to access emergency departments, beyond 30 minutes), continues on a steep incline with patients waiting a total of 5,293 hours.
In June 2021 the trend for ambulance ramping (the time patients spent waiting in ambulances to access emergency departments, beyond 30 minutes), continued on a steep incline with patients waiting a total of 5,293 hours^.
Despite temporary community lockdowns reducing emergency department attendances and ramping rates in WA in the first half of 2021, this was still not enough to mask the growing ramping times outside WA’s public hospitals.
June 2021 ramping figures were significantly higher than pre-covid 2019 June rates , despite 2019’s flu season causing a large spike in respiratory viral presentations in emergency departments across WA.
^Figures have been sourced from the St John Ambulance activity and response times website as at 2.07.21.
