Political clash over alleged data manipulation in Wide Bay Health Service
Queensland Health’s positive spin on emergency department response times and surgery lists at Bundaberg and Hervey Bay’s hospitals has ignited a heated political debate amid allegations of “data manipulation”.
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The release of health performance data has reignited strong political debate about whether the numbers truly reflect what’s going on within the wards and halls of the Wide Bay’s hospitals.
It comes after the region’s health service promoted positive figures which it said reflected significant improvements in emergency department and elective surgery efficiencies despite an increase in patient demand.
LNP Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett accused the State Government of attempting to hide the severity of ambulance ramping.
Mr Bennett claimed according to a policy report titled Inpatient overflow DEM V1.0 staff had been directed to park emergency patients on trolleys in corridors to improve ambulance ramping data.
“This leaked document exposes just how desperate Shannon Fentiman and Labor are to hide the facts and fudge the numbers,” Mr Bennett claimed.
He demanded answers regarding the policy allegedly instructing staff to manage patients in corridors to mitigate ambulance ramping statistics.
He also accused the Labor Government of prioritising appearance over substance, to the detriment of patient care.
LNP Candidate for Bundaberg Bree Watson echoed concerns about the alleged data manipulation.
“Changes to policy that aim to manipulate data disrespects our hardworking doctors, nurses, and paramedics,” Ms Watson said.
Bundaberg’s Labor MP Tom Smith praised the staff for their achievements and criticised the opposition for their lack of support.
“The LNP should be congratulating staff within the Wide Bay HHS who have seen amazing results to complement the work they are doing to move patients through their ED more quickly, rather than criticising them,” Mr Smith said.
The latest health performance data for the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service region, covering January to March 2024, pointed to advancements across various metrics, despite increasing demand for healthcare services.
According to the data, the number of ED patients seen within clinically recommended times increased by 16.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Additionally, there was nearly a 10 per cent rise in the number of elective surgery patients treated, with the number of ready-for-surgery patients waiting longer than clinically recommended decreasing by almost 80 per cent.
A WBHHS spokesperson attributed these improvements to the hard work and dedication of the healthcare staff.
“The improvements in emergency and elective surgery wait times are a testament to the resilience and hard work of our team.”
“We look forward to continuing our journey forward, building on these improvements to ensure even better healthcare outcomes for our community,” the statement read.
According to the data for the March quarter a total of 34,890 patients were treated in EDs, including over 12,000 at Bundaberg Hospital and more than 11,700 at Hervey Bay.
At Bundaberg Hospital, the number of emergency patients seen within recommended time frames increased by 7 per cent.
The patient off-stretcher time at Bundaberg Hospital reportedly improved by nearly 1 per cent while at Hervey Bay Hospital it improved by 7.7 per cent and at Maryborough by 3.6 per cent.
“I thank our incredible hardworking staff whose dedication has been pivotal in achieving these results, despite the rising demand for healthcare services,” the statement read.
“Our focus remains on enhancing our services, and these latest performance data reflect our commitment to delivering timely and effective care to all patients.”
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