Health Minister meets cancer survivor Sharyn Washington after 614-day surgery delays revealed

A Queensland breast cancer survivor who had a mastectomy in 2021 is confident her 600-plus-day wait for reconstructive surgery is almost over, after a private meeting with the Health Minister.

Mareeba mother-of-three Sharyn Washington. Picture: Brian Cassey

A Queensland breast cancer survivor who had a mastectomy in 2021 is confident her 600-plus-day wait for reconstructive surgery is almost over, after a private meeting with Health Minister Shannon Fentiman on Monday.

Mareeba mother-of-three Sharyn Washington said Ms Fentiman told her she “admired my courage and advocacy in speaking out” and would “look into progressing my surgery ASAP”.

The meeting follows an exclusive investigation by The Sunday Mail that revealed unacceptable delays and missing data around breast reconstructions in the public system.

Mrs Washington, 40, bravely shared with the newspaper her anxious wait for reconstructive surgery after being “brushed off” by Queensland Health.

She said there were women in greater need than she, and the government should improve access to reconstructions for everyone who couldn’t afford to go private.

Sharyn Washington with children Oscar, 9, Amelie, 11, and Daisy, 6. Picture: Brian Cassey

Ms Fentiman’s office reached out to Mrs Washington on Sunday morning and set up a 1.45pm Monday meeting in Mareeba, where the minister was attending the government’s Far North Queensland Regional Community Forum.

Ms Fentiman said: “It was really lovely to meet with Sharyn and hear her story first hand. It’s important for people to share their stories so we can ensure Queenslanders are getting the best care possible, as soon as possible.

“I’ve assured Sharyn getting wait times down and improving communication to patients are priorities for me and am looking forward to an outcome in the near future.”

In the meeting, Mrs Washington said Ms Fentiman suggested employing dedicated nurses to properly inform people awaiting surgery.

Mareeba mother-of-three Sharyn Washington. Picture: Brian Cassey

Currently, women are directed to the Cairns Hospital Performance website, which does not address individual cases and has no data about the actual wait times for people like Mrs Washington, who is deemed a non-urgent category 3, or for women in the more urgent category 2.

The only data provided is for the most urgent category 1, which shows most people are kept waiting an average of 113 days for their first outpatient consultation (not the surgery) – which is 83 days longer than the clinically recommended 30 days.

Mrs Washington shared damning text messages with The Sunday Mail, including from a breast care nurse who contacted Cairns Hospital on Mrs Washington’s behalf but was told by the surgical referrals team “unfortunately they are not allowed to give information about wait times anymore and are told to direct patients to the link below (to Cairns Hospital Performance)”.

Sharyn Washington with children Oscar, 9, Amelie, 11, and Daisy, 6.

Mrs Washington’s referral for surgery was sent on November 15, 2021.

“They hide things so we don’t know how long the wait actually is,” she told The Sunday Mail.

Mrs Washington initially wrote to Ms Fentiman on July 1, outlining the plight of women seeking timely treatment.