The United Workers Union isn’t jumping on reports that extreme pressure on paramedics resulted in more than a dozen deaths.

The deaths of at least 15 people in south-east Queensland have been linked to ambulance delays and stretched hospitals in internal QAS documents.

A 16-month snapshot of the department shows deaths logged between January 2021 and April 2022 occurred after a “delayed response” from busy paramedics.

But the United Workers Union’s National Ambulance Coordinator, Fiona Scanlan, said 20 deaths out of more than one million call-outs is a relatively low number.

“It is small, particularly considering the level of strain the system was under during that period of time,” she told Spencer Howson.

“During 2021, the service was really stretched, the hospitals weren’t coping so our members were bearing the brunt of that. It’s gotten slightly better recently.”

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath yesterday said it’s unfair to conclude the deaths were a direct result of paramedic response times.

“Can either of us say that would’ve resulted in a different outcome on any of these occasions?” Ms Scanlan agreed. “No we can’t, we’re not medical professionals.

“Until the Coroner makes some decisions around what led to each of these deaths, none of us are able to make to make those kinds of statements really, so I think what the Minister said is fair.”

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LNP leader David Crisafulli said “anyone with any credibility” would rebuke the Minister’s comments.

“What troubles me most is this pushback that somehow this is a slight on health workers,” he told Mark Levy.

“It’s the health workers that are pleading with us to fix the system. Ambulance ramping is a symptom of a sick system.”

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