RANKED: Qld’s best and worst performing emergency departments exposed

Queensland’s emergency departments are at breaking point, with long wait times and patient walk outs. Now new data reveals the best and worst EDs in the state. SEE THE RANKINGS

About half of all patients who present to emergency departments at large Greater Brisbane hospitals and strife-torn regional hospitals are not being seen within clinically-recommended times, new performance results reveal.

The shocking state of ED units are laid bare in the government’s revamped hospital performance website, which shows only 11 out of 106 hospitals across the state managed to deliver care to 100 per cent of patients within clinically recommended time frames.

A Courier-Mail analysis of the data shows the best ranking emergency departments were small town and outback hospitals with low patient volumes of less than 1,500.

They include Babinda Hospital, Biggenden Hospital, Blackall Hospital, Charleville Hospital, Cunnamulla Hospital, Gayndah Hospital, Joyce Palmer Health Service, Mitchell Hospital, St George Hospital, Taroom Hospital and Wandoan Hospital.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE RANKINGS

Queensland's best and worst performing emergency departments have been revealed.

Redcliffe hospital had the worst performing emergency department in the state, seeing only 49 per cent of patients within clinically-recommended times, followed by Ipswich hospital (51 per cent), Bundaberg (53 per cent), Rockhampton Base (54 per cent) and Princess Alexandra (57 per cent).

Ipswich, Logan, and Caboolture hospitals also scored particularly poorly amid an ambulance ramping crisis, transferring less than 45 per cent of patients off stretcher within 30 minutes.

The large Greater Brisbane hospitals of Caboolture and Ipswich have been at the centre of Queensland’s health crisis, plagued by a raft of issues in patient safety that sparked multiple investigations and reviews.

AMAQ president Dr Maria Boulton the new figures show the pressure the state’s EDs are under, particularly in rural and regional towns.

“All Queenslanders deserve access to quality, safe and timely emergency healthcare, and our doctors and nurses are doing the best they can,” she said.

“It is only their hard work and altruism that is keeping these small EDs going.

“We must do more to recruit, train and retain doctors and nurses in our regions or else our small communities will have no access to the healthcare they deserve.”

Caboolture was most recently in the limelight for the treatment of mother Katilin Bruce who says a horror experience with a caesarean section ultimately led to a hysterectomy and robbed her of the chance to have more children. Meanwhile, in April, another mum Brittany McDaniel was forced to undergo two surgeries to remove an ectopic pregnancy after the first surgery resulted in a blood vessel being nicked.

Nikkole Southwell alleges she experienced horrific care from Ipswich hospital after her miscarriage. Picture David Clark

Ipswich emergency department, which treated 20,384 patients in the ED across the June quarter, was the subject of nine recommendations following a damning review last month into the care of miscarrying mother Nikkole Southwell who was allegedly left wrapped in sheets and sitting in her own blood with her miscarried baby in a biohazard bag in the ED waiting room.

Nikkole Southwell alleges she received inadequate care at Ipswich Hospital throughout her miscarriage. Picture: Nikkole Southwell

The Prince Charles Hospital, the busiest ED in Brisbane, attended to 30,480 patients during the June quarter and was ranked 10th worst in the state with 60 per cent of patients seen within clinically recommended time frames but only 49.5 per cent of patients transferred off stretcher within 30 minutes.

The Mater Adult Public Hospital was ranked 9th worst, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital was 13th worst performing and Queen Elizabeth 2 Jubilee was ranked 18th worst.

Busy regional city hospitals including Gold Coast University, Townsville, Cairns and Mackay hospitals outperformed Brisbane‘s flagship hospitals, seeing more patients within clinically recommended times, transferring patients off stretcher much quicker and limiting patient walk outs.

Gold Coast University Hospital was the busiest ED in the state but still performed better than major Brisbane hospitals. Picture: Richard Gosling

The Gold Coast University Hospital was the busiest ED in the state, treating 31,309 patients in the June quarter, and managed to see 71 per cent of patients within clinically recommended time frames.

Cairns Hospital saw 73 per cent of patients within time frames, Townsville saw to 76 per cent, Nambour 83 per cent and Mackay 91 per cent.

Meanwhile, patient walk outs without treatment were the worst at two hospital in Indigenous shires - Cherbourg and Doomagdee - both recording 9 per cent of all patients who did not wait for treatment.

A spokesman for Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said the results showed significant pressure on the health system.

“Queensland Emergency Departments saw more than 584,000 presentations in the June quarter. This is 8,853 more presentations than the same quarter last year,” he said.

“Despite a more than 12 per cent increase in Category 1 presentations, 100 per cent of those patients were seen immediately.”

“In addition, more than 70 per cent of patients were seen within the clinically recommended time frame – a 9.3 per cent improvement on the same quarter last year.”

“But, we know there is more to do. That’s why, in this year’s budget we have announced $764 million for the Putting Patients First plan, which is investing in our frontline services and staff.”

Ipswich Hospital has been plagued by patient safety issues. Picture: David Clark

Part of the state governments plan to reduce ED wait time includes building seven satellite hospitals across the fastest growing regions.

“These satellite hospitals will direct non-urgent patients away from our busy hospitals and EDs by providing high-quality care for less serious injuries, closer to home,” said the spokesman.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told The Courier Mail satellite hospitals will be open before the next election.

The president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland Dr Maria Boulton commended the government for making the data available but said some of the results were “distressing”.

“We need to ensure hospitals are properly resourced to cope not just with emergency presentations but all the other work of hospitals – outpatient appointments, elective surgeries, diabetes clinics, fracture clinics etc.” Dr Boulton said.

“It’s distressing but not surprising that our hospitals are stretched.”

10 WORST PERFORMING EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS (based on % patients seen within clinically recommended time frames)

1. Redcliffe Hospital (49 per cent)

2. Ipswich Hospital (51 per cent)

3. Bundaberg Hospital (53 per cent)

4. Rockhampton Base Hospital (54 per cent)

5. Princess Alexandra Hospital (57 per cent)

6. Atherton Hospital (59 per cent)

7. Kingaroy Hospital (59 per cent)

8. Toowoomba Hospital (59 per cent)

9. Mater Adult Public Hospital (60 per cent)

10. The Prince Charles Hospital (60 per cent)