An independent review carried out by the SA Health Performance Council described ramping as "chronic" between 2022 and 2026 and said the public health system’s performance had "deteriorated".

The review also found that in the 2024‑25 financial year, less than half of metropolitan patients were transferred from paramedics to emergency‑department staff within 30 minutes of arrival, a sharp drop from more than 92 % in 2014‑15.

Health Minister Blair Boyer linked the surge to a shortage of aged‑care beds, noting that 483 patients were waiting for residential aged‑care placement in August, up from just 60 in October 2022.

Council chair Professor Stephen Duckett said SA Health’s culture must change from "micromanaging and siloed" to "strategic, connected and being held to account", stressing the need for system‑wide planning and clearer accountability.

Ambulance Employees Association general secretary Paul Ekkelboom called the 5,891‑hour figure "excessive" and warned that the government’s excuses were not solutions to the problem.