Australia is facing alarming levels of ramping. When an emergency department is at capacity, patient transfer is unable to be performed in a timely manner. This delay is referred to as ambulance ramping, ambulance offload delay, ambulance turnaround delay or patient off–stretcher time delay.

This report card presents statistics for incidents requiring an ambulance for each state and territory. It shows ambulance ramping in many states is still double what it was five years ago, with logjammed hospitals leaving patients waiting too long to be admitted, with devastating results. 

Due to the inconsistency of reporting mechanisms between states, this report card does not track national performance relating to ambulance ramping. However, the story across each state and territory is remarkably consistent; the number of patients transferred on time has fallen dramatically since 2019–20, while the total hours ramped (where recorded) has risen dramatically.

The report highlights the critical need for increased investment in Australia’s public hospital system to clear the logjam, reduce pressure on staff and improve patient outcomes.