Queenslanders want good information about safety and quality standards in private hospitals to be available

QUEENSLANDERS want to see private hospitals forced to publish their safety and quality data just the same as public hospitals, The Courier-Mail can reveal.

QUEENSLANDERS want to see private hospitals forced to publish their safety and quality data just the same as public hospitals, The Courier-Mail can reveal.

Consultation of patients, clinicians and health organisations on a government discussion paper that looked at how the public could use more hospital data saw 99 per cent of respondents say they wanted to see consistent reporting across both public and private facilities.

Almost 80 per cent would support legislated, regulated or mandated reporting.

Speaking today at the 2018 CEDA health series, Health Minister Steven Miles will release the findings of the three-month long consultation period.

Mr Miles said enhanced reporting could ensure patients received the highest quality care.

“Last year, Queensland Health asked Queenslanders if public reporting should be expanded for public and private hospitals and if they thought it would make choosing a hospital easier,” he said.

Queensland Minister for Health and Minister for Ambulance Services Steven Miles says releasing safety and quality data about private hospitals would make choosing a hospital easier. Picture: AAP/Dave Hunt

“The responses were overwhelmingly supportive of public reporting on safety and quality across public and private hospitals in Queensland.”

The top five categories respondents wanted to see data made public were: patient harm, condition specific surgical intervention, medication safety, hospital acquired infection rates and hand hygiene, workforce measures, staff/patient ratios and patient experience surveys.

When asked who the primary audience of the information should be more than 75 per cent said “consumers”; that is patients, future patients and families and carers of patients.

It was also revealed that 72 per cent of respondents would like to see the data reported via an interactive website while 53 per cent said they’d prefer Queensland Health published the data.

“Our Government has a strong commitment to ensuring the transparency of our State’s health system,” Mr Miles said.

“Working to expand public reporting on patient safety and healthcare quality will only make our system stronger.”