Rockhampton Hospital escalated to Tier 3 status

A Central Queensland public hospital has been forced to share its patients with private hospitals while it continues to operate at 100 per cent capacity after 21 days in an “extremely busy” winter.

Rockhampton Hospital.

For the past three weeks, Rockhampton Hospital has been operating under its highest alert level amid an “extremely busy” winter that has seen the hospital at full capacity.

Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Lisa Blackler said Rockhampton Hospital was in Tier 3 because of “a significant demand for services” during an “extremely busy” winter.

According to Queensland Health, Tier 3 is defined as high impact on the hospital; when patients are shared with other public and private hospital beds to cope with rising demand.

Ms Blackler said the hospital had been in Tier 3 for 21 days and was at 100 per cent capacity.

She said many people had presented to the hospital with colds, influenza, and other respiratory conditions.

Rockhampton Hospital.

According to Queensland Health data, Rockhampton Hospital had 12 Tier 3 escalations in the first quarter of 2024, with five in March lasting an average of 26 hours and 35 minutes, four in February lasting 92 hours and 11 minutes and three in January lasting 59 hours and 29 minutes.

The hospital, which has 331 beds, saw 10,705 patient admissions in that quarter, with 3868 of those admissions being overnight stays.

That quarter also saw the ramping at the hospital increase to 48.6 per cent, 3.6 per cent more than the last quarter and 0.6 per cent more than the previous year.

Ms Blackler said the Tier 3 escalation was “not cause for alarm in the community”, describing it as an internal activation which allowed the hospital to distribute resources to ensure patients were in the “right place at the right time to receive the best possible care”.

Ambulances parked outside the emergency department at the Rockhampton Hospital.

“We continue to prioritise patient care to meet the needs of the community and maintain access to healthcare services,” she said.

“This is what Tier 3 escalations are designed to do, to ensure all available resources are used to support maintaining patient care.

“This includes providing our services as part of a network of hospitals across Central Queensland, as well as working with our private hospital colleagues to increase the number of public hospital beds available.

“We always prioritise patients most in need to ensure they get their procedures when they need them, including having agreements with private partners as well as reviewing all solutions.

Rockhampton Hospital.

“Our team works on a triage system, and the sickest and most seriously injured patients are always treated within clinical guidelines (within two minutes of arriving at hospital).”

Ms Blackler said this winter had been “extremely busy for the hospital, as is usually the case, with colds, influenza, and other respiratory conditions prevalent”.

“This is why we are urging residents to seek the most suitable service for their care to avoid waiting in an emergency department,” she said.

“The best way to stop getting seriously ill with the flu is to get a vaccine every year.

“The flu vaccine is free for all Queenslanders aged six months or older at your vaccine provider (GP or participating pharmacist).”

Ms Blackler said while it was acknowledged it could be a challenge to get an appointment with a GP at short notice, there were free alternatives that people could access, including 24/7 phone hotline 13 HEALTH, Medicare Urgent Care Clinic at Stockland and Queensland Virtual Emergency Care Service.

“I thank our dedicated staff at Rockhampton Hospital and right across CQ Health for providing great care to Central Queenslanders in the face of growing pressure on our health system,” she said.