Patients allegedly die in Adelaide emergency department after ambulances prioritised

Patients have allegedly died inside emergency department waiting rooms in Adelaide after ambulance patients were given priority over them.

Allegations that hospital bosses have given orders for patients in ambulances to jump the queue surfaced today, amid increasing ambulance ramping levels.

Health Minister Chris Picton denied there had been any political pressure to reduce the ramping.

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Emergency specialist Dr David Pope claimed staff were being told to prioritise ambulance patients over those already inside emergency departments, regardless of clinical need, in order to drive down long waiting times.

He said it had cost some patients their lives and has been happening at all major Adelaide hospitals for the past year.

"The hospital managers will ring the staff in the emergency department essentially demanding that ambulances be unloaded," he said.

"You're talking [patients waiting] six, seven, eight hours and then dying of things like blood clots."

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Picton said he had launched an investigation into the claims

"That has never been raised with me before and I'm very concerned to hear that," he said.

Two independent clinicians have been appointed to investigate.

The ambulance union said it was working to understand why ramping rates were still so high.