Shocking new figures which highlight the McGowan Labor Government’s poor performance in health indicate that 1 in 4 priority one cases were not responded to within the 15 minute response time target last month.
“It’s concerning that the flow-on effect of hospital bed block and ambulance ramping is the alarming downward spiral in ambulance response times, which is now at a dangerous level,” said Shadow for Health Libby Mettam.
“Priority 2 and 3 are about 30% below the response target, highlighting this is a health system which is seriously buckling under pressure after years of under-resourcing from the Labor State Government and without any COVID in the community.
“These figures are a direct result of the worst ramping on record, with 6,516 hours recorded for August, over five times the figure the Minister for Health described as a “horror story when in Opposition.
“With our ambulances being held up for hours at hospitals until patients are transferred, it is leading to a situation where they are increasingly being challenged with their ability to respond to other emergencies in the community.
“This is a direct result of the McGowan Government running down the health system to a point where it is struggling to deal with day-to-day issues. The blame lies squarely at the feet of the McGowan Government and its impotent response to managing and resourcing our hospitals.”
Ambulance Perth – Ambulance Activity and Response Times – St John Ambulance (stjohnwa.com.au)
Priority 1 (90% of emergency calls within 15 min)
Aug 2019 – 90.3%
Aug 2021 – 76.5%
Priority 2 (90% of urgent calls within 25 mins)
Aug 2019 – 82.7%
Aug 2021 – 63.8%
Priority 3 (90% of urgent calls within 60 mins)
Aug 2019 – 83.2%
Aug 2021 – 60%
