House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-02 Daily Xml

Contents

Ambulance Ramping

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (14:18): My question is again to the Premier. Are ambulances being ramped in the car park at Flinders Medical Centre? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: At the end of March, it was reported that the pressure in our health system was so bad that ambulances were being ramped in a car park next to Flinders Medical Centre.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:18): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. When this was reported and the Leader of the Opposition made some statements about this over a month ago, there were very quickly some meetings that occurred between the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network CEO, Dr Kerrie Freeman, as well as the CEO of SA Ambulance Service, Rob Elliott, as well as discussions with industrial bodies.

It hadn't been something that was a procedure that was in place. Clearly, under the previous government that area of the top of the car park at Flinders Medical Centre was converted to become an area that ambulances could go to after they had transferred the care of patients, to enable the cleaning of vehicles and restocking of vehicles to happen there rather than outside the emergency department.

Clearly, it was never the intention for that to be used as a place where ambulances would go while they were waiting for the transfer of care of patients. Since that report came to light over a month ago, and as has been reported publicly since, there has been an agreement that that would not be in operation in that way in the future. I certainly haven't had any reports that that has been the case since that issue was raised four or five weeks ago.