Ambulance ramping at five-year low as Hospital Rescue Plan swings into action

• Ambulance ramping reached a five-year low in the last quarter of 2025, at 37.3 per cent.
• The reduced ramping figure comes as the Crisafulli Government continues to stabilise the elective surgery waitlist, which grew year on year under Labor. 
• The new data comes off the back of a surge in planning and construction across the State, as the fully-funded Hospital Rescue Plan addresses major infrastructure holes left after a decade of decline under Labor.
• The Crisafulli Government is restoring health services when you need them and delivering a fresh start for Queensland. 

The Crisafulli Government is healing Labor’s Health Crisis, with new quarterly Health Data showing ambulance ramping is at its lowest rate in five years.  

The new data shows the statewide ambulance ramping rate dropped to 37.3 per cent in the December quarter – the lowest the quarterly ambulance ramping rate has been since December 2020. 

The December figures also shows the elective surgery waitlist remains stable at 61,785, down from a peak of 66,632, just after the election. 

Under Labor, both ambulance ramping rates and the elective surgery waitlist skyrocketed year on year. 

It will take time to heal Labor's Health Crisis, with ramping rates fluctuating between quarters, but the Crisafulli Government will continue to pull every lever possible to further reduce ramping across Queensland.

The new ramping data comes as The Hospital Rescue Plan for the QEII Hospital Expansion in Brisbane reached a major milestone last week, with the final cement pour occurring at the new five-storey Clinical Services Building, signifying the completion of the structural phase, allowing the fit-out to begin. 

The expanded QEII Hospital will deliver 112 new inpatient beds, upgraded surgical facilities, expanded intensive care, and a new multi-level car park with 1,379 spaces to support growing demand.   

Construction of the new Clinical Services Building commenced in February 2025 and is on track for completion by 2028.  

Works are also progressing the $70 million high-voltage upgrade – critical to ensuring the hospital can operate – that was left unfunded by Labor.  

The QEII Hospital construction milestone is part of the surge in hospital planning and construction across the state, with key Hospital Rescue Plan milestones already delivered in 2026 including: 

• The new Cairns Hospital Master Plan, including a more than $1 billion investment to expand and modernise the hospital, and deliver improved weather and cyclone resilience, education and research facilities
• Final stages of early works at the new Toowoomba Hospital with 538 beds to be delivered at the Baille Henderson Campus by 2029
• Business cases approved to progress on 20 projects in the next stage of the Building Rural and Remote Hospital Program (BRRHP), part of the Hospital Rescue Plan, including at Hughenden, Richmond, Home Hill, Chinchilla, Biloela, Laidley, Boonah, Murgon, Childers, Proserpine, Jandowae, Dalby and Warwick Bamaga, Yellagundgimarra, Laura, Boigu, Badu Island, Lockhart River, Horn Island.