Bad end to summer in WA’s hospitals points to an even worse winter

New ambulance ramping figures have poured cold water over the Cook Government’s newfound confidence it was prepared for this year’s upcoming flu season.

Ramping figures released today for last month show it was the worst February on record, with ambulances parked outside public hospitals for nearly 4893 hours while waiting to transfer their patient.

The figure broke the record for February, which was set last year at 4840 hours.

The release of the figures raises doubts over the state’s ability to deal with the upcoming flu season after it spent much of last week talking about its readiness thanks to the 2026 winter health strategy.

Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas said the new figures were an “absolute indictment” on the government.

“Their priorities are everywher other than where they should be – that is on fixing our health system and ambulance ramping,” he said.

“We’ve been saying consistently for over 12 months now, [ramping] is the canary in the coal mine with what’s wrong in our health system and it is not getting adequate attention.

“They’re too concerned with sports and entertainment. They’re too concerned with other projects. They’re not fixing the fundamentals.

“If the government are confident, based on February, that things are looking good for winter – well, that’s great, but … the February data has reached an all-time record.”

Last winter, ramping hours hit two new records at the end of winter, with 7012 hours in August and 7270 hours in September.

Zempilas took also took aim at the Cook government for not implementing in full a five-point plan developed between health unions last year.

The plan called for diverting people away from emergency departments when they could be seen at urgent care clinics or a GP, which could potentially bring 400 aged care beds online, improving staffing and operating hospitals on a 24/7 basis.

That plan came at the end of a horror flu season ripping through the state, catapulting total ED admissions to almost 1.2 million and 700,000 public hospital admissions.

Zempilas accused the government of not implementing any of the plan.

Hammat was approached for further comment, but some of the plan, like diversion from EDs, was announced during a media blitz last week where she spruiked the 2026 winter plan.

This included announcing the next phase of nurse-to-patient ratios into critical care wards.

Ratios now apply across major metropolitan intensive and critical care units, including at Sir Charles Gairdner, Fiona Stanley, Rockingham General, Armadale and Royal Perth hospitals, as well as Perth Children’s Hospital and King Edward Memorial Hospital.

She also announced the 2026 winter strategy would be funded with $140 million in already announced and some new money.

Part of the strategy involved launching a new website called Access Health WA, which was aimed at diverting sick or injured West Australians with minor ailments away from EDs to urgent care clinics, the WA Virtual ED Department or a GP.

The strategy found there were more than 300 people on average in WA hospital beds due to a shortage of aged care beds.

The government will spend $24.2 million in increasing the number of ‘Time to Think’ beds that get aged care patients out of hospitals while they consider their next move.

The government will also “standardise ED processes” to make the transfer of patient care quicker.

Hammat also pointed to the impending purchase of the Mount Lawley Hospital from St John of God Healthcare and the extra 100 beds that will enter the public system as a boost to hospital capacity.