COTA SA is watching the ambulance issues unfold in the media with great frustration.

In January I had a useful conversation with David Place about older people’s use of ambulance services in SA and, in particular, the outcomes for older people attended by SAAS whether they are living in their own home or in an aged care home.

I conveyed to David that there is a view among older people, whether living in their own home or inan aged care home, that they are disproportionately ramped or queued in emergency departments. At David’s suggestion, we wrote to him in February seeking data from SAAS about whether age is, in fact, positively corelated with being ‘ramped’. We included an outline of the data we thought would be useful. A copy of our letter is attached