Lack of GPs, bulk-billing pushing people to EDs with minor ailments

Thousands of Queenslanders are visiting overwhelmed emergency departments for repeat prescriptions, sick certificates and trivial ailments due to the lack of access to GPs and the death of bulk billing. VOTE IN THE POLL

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Thousands of Queenslanders are visiting overwhelmed emergency departments for repeat prescriptions, sick certificates and trivial ailments due to the lack of access to GPs and the death of bulk billing.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman is mounting pressure on her Federal counterpart to quickly deliver 11 promised urgent care clinics to the state to help ease the growing burden.

The Sunday Mail can reveal more details of when the Queensland clinics will be open is set to be released next month after the Federal health department confirmed all 58 are due to be operational by the end of the year.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman wants more help from the federal government to help ease the growing burden on hospital emergency departments. . Picture: Brendan Radke

“Primary care is the responsibility of the Federal government, which is why I’ve raised the closure of GPs in regional and rural Queensland, and the pressure this is putting on our health system, with my Federal colleagues,” Ms Fentiman said.

“I have also made it clear it is absolutely critical that the Commonwealth’s urgent care clinics are operational as soon as possible.”

The bulk billing clinics have been designed to take the pressure off EDs by treating less serious medical issues like minor burns, ear aches, stitches or broken bones.

Exclusive Queensland Health data obtained by the Sunday Mail reveals more than 180 presentations a day have been recorded by emergency departments across the state for health needs that could be treated by a GP or pharmacist since January last year.

In just the first four months of 2023, there were 473 presentations for ingrown toenails, 115 for sunburn, 278 for hand splinters, 44 for blisters and 13 for hiccups.

Cases of people wanting a repeat prescription have also skyrocketed as has the number of workers needing a medical certificate.

Over the 16 months from January 2022 to April 2023, 6662 patients wanted repeat of a prescription and 3764 requested a medical certificate

Queensland Health Acting Director-General Dr David Rosengren told The Sunday Mail emergency departments were under a lot of pressure, with presentations increasing around 23.5 per cent in the past four years.

“We do understand the challenges people face in accessing primary health care, which is why many Queenslanders are unfortunately turning to our EDs as a last resort,” he said.

Dr Rosengren said that no one would be refused care at any hospitals but people presenting for non-urgent matters may experience longer wait times.

“People who need prescription refills or medical certificates should try to see a GP before turning up at a hospital emergency department,” he said.

“We strongly support any measures that will lead to improved access to GPs for Queenslanders.

Queensland Health acting director-general Dr David Rosengren. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

“This will no doubt help our clinical partners in the private sector while alleviating some of the pressure on the public health system.”

Ms Fentiman said in addition to mounting pressure on the Federal goverenment to open the urgent care clinics, the state was delivering satellite hospitals in rapidly growing communities to help ease the pressure on EDs by also treating minor injury and illnesses.

But Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said that the satellite hospitals were not “real” hospitals and had no overnight beds.

“If you turn up there and need further care they will have to call an ambulance to deliver you elsewhere and we all know the problem with ramping,” she said.

The Australian Medical Association Queensland has warned that the problems with access to primary care is fuelling the collapse of the state’s secondary health system.

Emergency departments are clogged and leaving frontline doctors burnt out.

Fast growing areas of Queensland are among the worst places in the country for access to a GP with hundreds of thousands of residents competing for appointments in just a few hundred clinics.

Ipswich, Moreton Bay and the Logan-Beaudesert are regions are showing the worst GP shortages. Clinics are seeing more than 1500 patients a day.

More than 400 people have gone to emergency departments this year with ingrown toenails.

“People must be able to seek medical care when they need it but sometimes people should ring 13HEALTH before they ring triple-0,” AMAQ president Maria Boulton said.

“For parents it may be difficult to assess whether their child needs emergency care and in that case if they are concerned parents should be able to access medical care after hours.

“Some of these conditions may appear trivial or uncomplicated, but UTI symptoms can often mask something more serious.”

The AMAQ chief said the pressure on EDs would ease with better Medicare rebates for people to be able to see their GPs after hours, so practices can afford to stay open later and on weekends.

“This is why we need to look at the health system in its entirety, not just at public hospitals or GPs,” she said.

“We need to make it easier for people to be able to see their GP after hours, not hit general practices with new taxes like payroll tax that will have to be passed on to patients.”

Dr Boulton said that UTIs, which can be deadly, were one of the most common infections in people over 65 and can be difficult to diagnose, especially for our aged care residents.

“Funding must be increased to make it easier for GPs to maintain contact with their patients in nursing homes, so the patients don’t end up being taken to hospital by ambulance for UTIs,” she said.

QUEENSLAND EMERGECY DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS AT HOSPITALS IN MAJOR METRO AND REGIONAL HOSPITAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

2022 TO APRIL 2023

28,064 attention to surgical dressings and stitches

152 blister of ankle and foot

556 bruised finger (without damage to nail)

79 hiccups

1056 ingrowing nails

3764 issued a medical certificate

6662 issue of repeat prescription

11,995 ear infection

280 sunburn

1901 wrist or hand splinter

36,911 urinary tract infection

Source: Queensland Health