There are new revelations a major south-east hospital is frequently redirecting prisoners to waiting rooms with the general public when under pressure.

Prisoners in need of medical attention are normally transported to the Princess Alexandra Hospital, which has Brisbane’s only secure unit to treat them away from other patients.

But insiders have told 9News senior reporter Tim Arvier that due to ramping and capacity issues, prisoners are often getting diverted, sharing waiting rooms with the general public.

A leaked email sent by an ambulance boss to paramedics has confirmed the practice.

“I wanted to clarify that patients from a correctional facility are able to be load-shared to other hospitals when the Princess Alexandra Hospital is at capacity,” the email said.

“If you are asked to divert away from the Princess Alexandra Hospital, please do so and inform the correctional officers onboard of the change in destination.”

Authorities have not confirmed whether dangerous and sexual offenders are among those who can be redirected but said a full security assessment is always undertaken to ensure public safety.

Image: Jono Searle/Getty Images