Probe into Caboolture Hospital death as Queenslanders wait 15 hours
Queensland Health has refused to confirm whether a mother or her baby died at a South East Queensland hospital. It comes as it was revealed people are waiting up to 15 hours in the state’s overcrowded emergency departments.
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Queenslanders are waiting up to 15 hours in the state’s overcrowded emergency departments as the Palaszczuk government faces a renewed grilling about its management of the under-pressure health sector.
In a bombshell estimates hearing, Queensland Health has also declined to say whether a mother or her baby died at Caboolture Hospital, insisting an investigation into “adverse events” were under way.
Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates used estimates on Friday to question Metro North Hospital and Health Service acting chief operating officer Jane Hancock about whether an incident at the hospital led to a “loss of life” of a mother or her baby.
Ms Hancock declined to answer, but confirmed an investigation was under way.
“We have a series of processes to review those adverse events and also to investigate when consumers make complaints or in fact staff make complaints,” she said.
“In relation to maternity services there is a review currently under way in relation to obstetrics and gynaecology services at Caboolture Hospital that is being undertaken.”
The state of Queensland’s health system and the Palaszczuk government’s response to its challenges were put under the microscope at a fiery estimates hearing on Friday, which at times descended into a shouting match.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath spruiked the government’s response to the evolving pandemic and praised the efforts of health staff, but came under fire from the opposition for worsening ramping and wait time statistics.
In the March quarter 27 per cent of patients were not seen within clinically recommended times in Queensland’s public hospitals, with the longest of those times now revealed.
The worst was a patient at Rockhampton Hospital in January, who was forced to wait 940 minutes – the equivalent of more than 15 hours – before being admitted.
At 10 hours, Toowoomba featured the second-longest wait while a patient at Ipswich Hospital was left for nine hours.
All hospitals, with the exception of Nambour, featured patients who waited more than three hours to be admitted from the emergency department.
Ms D’Ath said people arriving to an emergency department were triaged by a qualified nurse to determine the urgency of their condition.
“If a patient is identified to be triaged to a less urgent category, they continue to be monitored by a Clinical Initiative Nurse or equivalent while awaiting formal review by a medical officer or specialist nurse or allied health professional,” she said.
“This may include monitoring of vital signs, provision of analgesia and initiation of diagnostic tests.”
New figures have revealed ambulance ramping hit 45 per cent during the June quarter despite statewide emergency department attendance dropping by 4 per cent (to 575,578) compared to the previous period.
However category one presentations grew by 7 per cent and 57 per cent of patients waited beyond four hours to be allocated a bed outside the ED.
It was also revealed during estimates the Palaszczuk government’s Satellite Hospital Program – which was earmarked to take pressure off the state’s struggling health system – has suffered a cost blowout and is behind schedule.
The Palaszczuk government pledged $265m during the 2020 election to build seven day hospitals at Bribie Island, Ripley, Redlands, Eight Mile Plains, Pine Rivers, Gold Coast and Caboolture.
However, Queensland Health has blamed Covid-related labour and materials shortages for a $15m blowout.
Construction at several of the sites is yet to start, despite the Premier pledging during the election campaign to have the hospitals open by May 2023.
The facilities, which with no overnight beds have been slammed as “fake hospitals” by the LNP, are now set to open in the second-half of next year.
Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the satellite hospitals were behind schedule and over budget.
“In the middle of a health crisis Queenslanders deserve to know they will get the infrastructure they need no matter how small it is,” she said.
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