The South Australian government believes it has turned a corner in fulfilling its promise to fix the ambulance ramping crisis, but concedes it has a "long way to go".
The number of hours ambulances spent stuck on hospital ramps last month was down 16 per cent compared to December, the lowest number since last April.
The government said "transfer of care" hours dropped to 3,018 hours last month, compared with 3,583 in December.
That was also a drop from 3,516 hours in November, 3,330 in October, and down from the record high of 3,855 in June.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas says the data shows "a downward trend is now starting to appear".
"It's far too early to claim victory or anything along those lines, but to see ramping back down to the lowest levels we've seen in some time is a good thing," he said.
"But there's a long way to go."
But opposition health spokeswoman Ashton Hurn said the figures would not provide any comfort.
"South Australians have just endured the worst nine months of ramping in the state's history," she said.
The government opened a new $4.5 million ambulance station at Strathalbyn over the weekend, the second of 12 in the pipeline.
But Ms Hurn has called for the government to speed up the construction of a SA Ambulance Service headquarters.
The $120 million headquarters, which was a Labor election promise, is expected to be completed before the next election.
Mr Malinauskas said site selection was underway, with the location narrowed down to two or three potential sites.
New mental health beds for Adelaide's northern suburbs
The state government has also announced a site for 24 new mental health beds opposite the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
The unit, which will cost $44 million, will be built on Woodville Road on the site of a former retirement village.
The government expects the facility to be completed in late 2025.
Health Minister Chris Picton said the facility would help expand the QEH's capacity and improve patient flow, in turn impacting on ramping.
"We know that mental health is a key critical element in terms of fixing delays in our hospitals where people get stuck in emergency departments waiting for a mental health bed," he said.
"And that's why we're investing so heavily in mental health right across the board."
