The SA authorities has blamed a rise in ambulance ramping on the state’s public hospitals all through final month on an “incredibly busy” winter, and says short-term methods are serving to to handle the problem.

The state’s newest month-to-month statistics present sufferers had been left ready in ambulances for a mixed 3,354 hours in July — virtually 250 hours greater than June’s determine of three,105.

The opposition mentioned ramping had surged because the present authorities took workplace, and that the most recent outcomes “are worse than any month under” its predecessor.

But the federal government mentioned the July determine is lower than the corresponding one from 12 months in the past, and likewise lower than the record high in March this year, when ambulances spent 3,968 hours “ramped” outside hospital emergency departments.

“We know we’re in an incredibly busy period in the middle of winter, but we compare it to the same time last year, and we see reduction that’s happened over the course of that time,” SA Health Minister Chris Picton mentioned.

“A lot of that is not necessarily because of the additional beds, because these are still being constructed.”

Mr Picton, who at present introduced the beginning of building on a brand new 20-bed ward on the Flinders Medical Centre, mentioned ambulance response occasions in July had been additionally considerably higher than on the identical time final yr.

He mentioned whereas a joint state and federal $400 million funding would ultimately ship 160 beds throughout the Flinders and Repat hospital websites, different methods to cut back well being system pressures, such as the My Home Hospital scheme, had been proving efficient.

“It takes time to build beds, to build capacity in our hospital system. No-one can click their fingers and have additional wards appear, but the work is underway,” he mentioned.

“We are working through every other possible short-term solutions that can happen in the meantime.”

The chief government of SA Health’s Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN), Kerrie Freeman, mentioned there had been a big discount in hours misplaced to ramping inside that community prior to now 12 months.

“A look back at our results at SALHN compared to winter last year — we’ve had a 34 per cent improvement in ramping. That’s phenomenal,” Dr Freeman mentioned.

The present SA authorities swept to power in March last year partly on the back of commitments to reduce ramping. 

Opposition well being spokesperson Ashton Hurn mentioned that ramping had “never been worse” than it’s below the present authorities.

“At the state election … ramping was at 1,500 hours and now for the last 12 months ramping has consistently been over 3,000 hours,” Ms Hurn mentioned.

“These results today are worse than any month under the former Liberal government.

“Now is the time for the federal government to knuckle down and get on with the job of fixing ramping, identical to they promised they might.”