Surgery numbers get a kick start but still heart patients still lagging

Almost half of all Queenslanders scheduled for elective surgery have been waiting longer than clinically recommended, despite waitlists returning to pre-Covid levels. See which procedures are worst affected. SEARCH TABLE

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman

The number of Queenslanders receiving vital surgery and seeing specialists in Queensland hospitals has returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, but there are still thousands of patients waiting longer than clinically recommended, new data reveals.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said she was thrilled with the results that have seen more specialist outpatients and elective surgery patients than before the Covid-19 pandemic, with 18.6 per cent and 2.4 per cent improvements compared to Covid-19 levels, respectively.

Elective surgery long wait lists have also dropped by almost 20 per cent compared to 2022, with 1507 more Queenslanders receiving the care they need and coming off the long waiting list.

However, as of the end of June, there were 171,509 people waiting for elective surgery across the state, 80,131 of them having waited longer than clinically recommended.

That includes around half of category 1 cardiology patients and only 37 per cent cent of gastroenterology patients were seen on time.

A shocking 75.5 per cent of category 2 ear, nose and throat patients were not seen on time and less than half of pediatric surgery patients in category 2 were seen on time.

Ms Fentiman said she wanted to make sure hospitals were able to keep catching up on the surgery backlogs by investing $224 million to boost elective surgery and specialist outpatient capacity.

Hospital and health services across the state will receive an extra $124 million in funding to support elective surgery and specialist outpatient services.

It can be spent to increase their own capacity or to outsource to a private partner to deliver extra appointments.

Demand for specialist outpatient appointments has increased by nearly 50 per cent since 2016, with approximately 685,000 referrals received in the most recent financial year.

Across 29 outpatient specialties, 26 have seen reductions in waitlists or long waits since the start of the year.

Ms Fentiman said although the results were promising there was still more work to do and “we are throwing everything at it”.

“I committed to ensuring more Queenslanders have access to the elective surgery that they need and this progress is a testament to our hardworking healthcare staff,” she said.

“We know the impact wait lists have not only on our hospitals but on patients, and it’s imperative we’re meeting the community’s needs and continue putting downward

pressure on wait lists.”