ED wait times for Wide Bay hospitals worst in state
Latest performance report reveals three out of four of the Queensland hospitals with the longest Emergency Department wait times are Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay.
Bundaberg
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bundaberg. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Three out of the four worst performing hospitals for Emergency Department wait times are in Wide Bay, according to the latest Queensland Health data for the December 2022 quarter.
Bundaberg Hospital, Maryborough Hospital and Hervey Bay Hospital are among the four hospital emergency departments (EDs) with the lowest proportion of patients seen within the clinically recommended timeframe.
Young criminals of the Wide Bay in designer labels
The data reveals a worsening trend at Bundaberg and Maryborough Hospitals, with around 10 per cent fewer patients being treated within the guidelines than in the 12 months prior.
Queensland Health guidelines require a patient to be seen by a treating doctor or nurse within a maximum two hours of arriving at the ED.
Anecdotal accounts provided in response to a NewsMail poll give a troubling insight into patients’ experiences of long delays in the Bundaberg Hospital ED apparently far exceeding two hours.
Donna Muller waited for “8 hours in total. 4 out in the waiting room and another 4 out back just waiting for xray results.”
“There was a toddler that had hit his head and had waited about 4 hours before they were taken through,” she said.
Gigi Blakey waited for two and then three hours in two separate visits when suffering from severe abdominal pain.
“The nurses are all exceptional ... QLD Health is absolutely disgusting,” she said.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service said the increased wait times were partly due to an increased volume of patients presenting with more serious conditions.
More than 32,100 patients presented to Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Maryborough EDs in the December 2022 quarter, a 3 per cent yearly increase.
“At times of high demand patients with conditions that are not life-threatening may have to wait longer for treatment, regardless of whether they arrive by ambulance or via their own transport. We treat patients according to clinical need – as per global and national best practice,” a WBHHS spokesperson said.
But the data shows that only 34 per cent of patients presenting to the Bundaberg Hospital ED with imminently life threatening conditions were seen within the recommended time frame ,while 83 per cent of patients in the least urgent category were seen within the guidelines.
Steps taken by WBHHS to relieve pressure on EDs include opening additional wards at Bundaberg, Maryborough and Hervey Bay Hospitals allowing for ED spaces to be freed more efficiently.
Work has also begun on a $40 million expansion of Hervey Bay Hospital, which will provide an additional 35 beds.
Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the long wait times were happening because the state government “hasn’t planned, resourced and run our hospital system properly”.
“These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. This is a child having an asthma attack or your grandparent who has taken a nasty fall,” she said.
‘Wide Bay residents deserve better.”
Labor flags plan to cut energy costs for regional Qld farmers
The Labor Government is powering on with its promises for lower energy prices as the Queensland election campaign continues into week two, with its most marginal seat holder calling the party’s new policy a winner for his electorate.
Dingo bites woman at popular K’gari tourist spot
Investigations are under way after a woman was bitten while walking with a group at a popular tourism spot on the heritage island.