Health Minister Shannon Fentiman accused by LNP of data secrecy

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has been accused by the LNP of ‘secrecy’ over the state’s ambulance ramping crisis.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has been accused by the LNP of keeping monthly hospital ramping data secret, despite her ongoing assurances of being more transparent than predecessor Yvette D’Ath.

Parliamentary questions on notice detail the Opposition’s multiple requests for the specific ramping data to be revealed by the Health Minister – with former Minister D’Ath publishing the information on request on at least three previous occasions.

But an identical request submitted by the LNP was knocked back by Ms Fentiman – who was parachuted into the troubled portfolio in mid-May following months of sustained pressure on Ms D’Ath – in June.

In response to the request, Ms Fentiman instead shared just quarterly data – information which is already made public on the Queensland Health website.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has been accused by the LNP of being secretive with ramping data. Picture: Liam Kidston

“The March 2023 quarterly performance data shows that Queensland hospitals continue to perform well despite the pressures the system is facing,” her half page response said.

“Our emergency departments saw 571,324 presentations in the March 2023 quarter, which is higher than the comparable quarter last year, and features a 13.6 per cent increase in the most serious cases.

“Despite this, more than 70 per cent of patients were seen within clinically recommended time frames, and the average wait time was 34 minutes.”

The LNP seized on the rejection and said the new Minister had been caught “red-handed”, slamming it as a “new low for transparency in the health portfolio”.

But Ms Fentiman told The Courier-Mail she had “committed to releasing more Queensland Health data to make it easier and more accessible for Queenslanders”.

“The department are looking into how this can best be managed to ensure that we are providing Queenslanders with transparent and efficient insight into the realities confronting our hardworking health workers,” she said.

“This work is currently underway, and I will provide an update soon.”

The LNP want ramping data to be released each month. Picture: Liam Kidston

LNP Open Data spokesman Brent Mickelberg said Queenslanders should be concerned by the Health Minister’s “secrecy”

“Shannon Fentiman said she’d be different managing the health portfolio compared to her predecessor – she’s right, she’s worse,” Mr Mickelberg said.

“Even the much-maligned former Minister provided a monthly breakdown of ambulance ramping across Queensland.

“We know ambulance ramping in Queensland has become the worst in the nation under the chaos and crisis of the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

“Hiding information from Queenslanders won’t fix this problem.”

In May – after being contacted by The Courier-Mail – the then newly-appointed Ms Fentiman committed to asking Queensland Health to reassess how hospital data was released, after Ms D’Ath oversaw a change in how hospital capacity was reported and tracked over time.

“As noted by the former Health Minister the requested data is not collected monthly,” she said at the time.

“I have asked the department to assess how this data can be best managed into the future to ensure that we are providing Queenslanders with transparent and efficient insight into the realities confronting our hardworking health workers.”