Health · Healthcare & Policy · 5 hrs ago
Queensland paramedics say hospital ramping leaves emergencies waiting
Queensland paramedics say hospital ramping is keeping ambulances out of the community when they are needed for urgent calls.
Ramping happens when patients arriving by ambulance cannot be transferred to an emergency department, leaving crews waiting outside.
In August, 42 per cent of ambulance patients at 26 public hospitals waited over 30 minutes to be transferred.
Some hospitals in the state’s Metro South region had rates above 60 per cent, with QEII recording the highest rate at 64.8 per cent.
The figures are only slightly lower than they were in August before the LNP government was elected in October 2024.
The government has pledged to reduce statewide ramping to below 30 per cent by the 2028 state poll.
An investigation is underway into the death of a 51-year-old Brisbane man who called Triple Zero with chest pains and was found dead about two hours later.
Queensland paramedics say ambulance ramping is leaving emergency cases waiting for help in the community.
In August, 42 per cent of ambulance patients at the state’s 26 largest public hospitals waited more than 30 minutes to be transferred to emergency departments.
At Logan, Redland and QEII hospitals, more than 60 per cent of ambulance arrivals waited over 30 minutes; QEII had the highest rate at 64.8 per cent.
A 51-year-old man with chest pains was found dead at home about two hours after calling Triple Zero, and an investigation is underway.
The Crisafulli Government has pledged to reduce statewide ramping to below 30 per cent by the 2028 state poll.
- Who
- Queensland paramedics say they are unable to respond to some emergencies while ramped at hospitals.
- What
- Ambulance patients are waiting more than 30 minutes to be transferred to emergency departments. Paramedics say they can be held at hospitals for hours.
- When
- The latest figures cited are for August. The article was published on October 17, 2026.
- Where
- Queensland public hospitals, including hospitals in Metro South.
- Why
- Overcrowded emergency departments prevent paramedics from transferring patients and returning to the community. A union official described ramping as a symptom of a hospital system that is not working well.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The LNP Government was elected.
Across Queensland’s top 26 public hospitals, 42 per cent of ambulance patients waited more than 30 minutes to be transferred to emergency departments.
A 51-year-old man with chest pains called Triple Zero; paramedics found him dead at home about two hours later.
The man’s family learned about the ambulance delay through media reports.
- Queensland hospitals
- 26 top public hospitals included in the August data
- August ramping rate
- 42 per cent waited more than 30 minutes
- QEII Hospital
- 64.8 per cent ramping rate in August, the highest in Queensland
- Logan, Redland and QEII
- More than 60 per cent of ambulance patients waited over 30 minutes in August
- Government target
- Below 30 per cent statewide ramping by the 2028 state poll
What people are saying
Ramping is entirely a symptom of a hospital system that's not working well
For our members, who are paramedics in the field, it's kind of demoralising for them to be sitting at a hospital with the care of a patient when they should be out in the community dealing with people in need who haven't been assessed yet.
It just means we know there's people out there who genuinely need an ambulance critically and they are not receiving that care.