Crisafulli slams Bundaberg Hospital after town hall meeting

The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service has responded to scolding claims put forth following a packed ‘town hall’ event in Bundaberg. Here’s what was said on both sides.

The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service has responded to claims put forward by state opposition leader David Crisafulli who says some ambulance patients are waiting more than seven hours for a bed and that 51 per cent of patients in 2021 were not seen within a clinically recommended timeframe.

In turn, the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service responded to queries put forward by the Bundaberg NewsMail, saying the service had been “up-front” about the challenges it had faced due to an “unprecedented demand on Queensland hospitals”.

Mr Crisafulli was in Bundaberg on Wednesday where he met with more than 100 people at the Brothers Sports Club as part of a number of “health crisis town hall” events around the state.

“People just want to see the health crisis fixed and they’re growing tired of the excuses,” he said in a statement.

“People who pay their taxes just want to know that they can rely on the health system when they need it and right now that’s not happening in Queensland.

“The stories we heard... were shocking and are further proof the Queensland Health Crisis is affecting real Queenslanders every day.”

Mr Crisafulli said Bundaberg patients were being ramped longer than before, surgeries were repeatedly cancelled and waitlists were getting longer.

“The State Government betrayed this community by not delivering a promised level five hospital,” he said.

“The LNP has put forward solutions including real-time data monitoring for patients and GPs, empowering local doctors and nurses to make more decisions, improving triaging and investing in more beds.”

Opposition health spokeswoman minister Ros Bates said doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied healthcare workers were exhausted.

“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it can get for the staff who are doing everything they can to keep our hospitals running,’ she said.

Ms Bates slammed the state’s decision not to allow the opposition in to inspect the hospital.

“It raises the question, what’s happening inside the hospital that the State Government doesn’t want us to see?” she said.

Burnett MP Stephen Bennett said he won’t stop fighting for better health care.

“All Queenslanders deserve a world class hospital system, no matter where they live,” he said.

Mr Crisafulli said data showed that ambulance ramping had hit 30 per cent in December last year, with the longest ramping times from the last half of 2021 of between 3.2 and 7.2 hours.

He stated that figures from the December quarter of 2021 showed 865 people were on waiting lists for elective surgeries at Bundaberg Hospital and that 13 per cent of those on waiting lists for specialist outpatient appointments were not treated on time.

Data also reveals that 3468 people are on waiting lists for specialist outpatient appointments.

The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service has responded to claims around wait times and ramping at Bundaberg Hospital.

“The unprecedented demand on Queensland hospitals is beyond what was forecasted,” a spokesman for the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service said.

But the health service assures the community it is working on addressing its challenges.

“In the Wide Bay region, our ageing population also means that patients are presenting to our emergency departments (ED) with more complex conditions and requiring more urgent, time-critical care.

“Our sickest patients will always be seen first and this may impact waiting times for lower category patients.”

The spokesman said the pandemic had also played a part in the hospital’s operations.

“Our local Covid-19 response has also required beds, staff and other resources creating additional pressure on our health service,” he said.

“Our Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service team is always up front with our community about these challenges and is currently working in partnership with our community as we develop our Strategic Plan for 2022-2026 through our Let’s Talk health campaign and public forums.”

The spokesman said the health service had significantly increased its emergency and inpatient capacity across the region in recent years, including the additional medical ward at Bundaberg Hospital.

“WBHHS has also invested in new models of care and implemented additional front door ‘transfer in nurses’ in the Bundaberg Hospital emergency department to help manage the demand for our services,” he said.

“We’re also continuing to work collaboratively with the Queensland Ambulance Service to enable improved coordination between the services and to help accommodate any increase in presentations in our emergency departments.

“The business case for a new Bundaberg Hospital has also been presented.”

The spokesman said that the WBHH Board, executive and staff remain committed to providing the best possible health care to patients and the community and had demonstrated that throughout the Covid pandemic over the past two years.

“Patient and staff safety are our paramount concerns,” he said.

A case for a new Bundaberg Hospital with level five facilities has been put forward with the State Government announcing in 2020 that it would be situated on Kay McDuff Drive.