YouGov poll reveals Queenslanders believe standard of care is lacking at hospitals around the state

Alarming figures have come out of the latest YouGov poll, with less than half of Queenslanders confident an ambulance could arrive quickly in an emergency.

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Almost 50 per cent of Queenslanders think the standard of care at Queensland hospitals is going backwards, while only one in ten believe the standard of care is improving.

Alarmingly, less than half of Queenslanders have confidence an ambulance would reach their home within 15 minutes if a member of their household was suffering from a heart attack.

The troubling results for the third-term Palaszczuk government have been laid bare in a new YouGov poll conducted for The Courier-Mail and Sunday Mail – highlighting voters’ views on the state’s under-pressure health system.

Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. Picture: Josh Woning

The poll reveals 43 per cent of Queenslanders believe the standard of care provided at the state’s hospitals is getting worse, while 34 per cent believe it is staying about the same.

Another 11 per cent said they did not know, and only 12 per cent suggested the standard of care was improving.

According to the poll, 50 per cent of LNP voters believe the standard of care is on the decline, while 35 per cent of Labor voters hold the same view.

Queensland ambulance service. Picture: Scott Powick

Meanwhile, only 12 per cent of respondents indicated they were very confident an ambulance would reach their home within 15 minutes to attend to someone experiencing cardiac arrest.

Another 33 per cent of respondents indicated they were fairly confident – but a significant 30 per cent said they were not that confident while 19 per cent suggested they were not at all confident.

And 6 per cent said they did not know.

The polling of 1000 Queenslanders was conducted between December 1 and December 8.

The results will likely put more pressure on Health Minister Yvette D’Ath, who only this week conceded Queensland Health had “cultural issues” that needed to be fixed.

Documents released in recent months under Right to Information have detailed instances of patients waiting hours for ambulances or being stuck on the ramp at hospitals.

Hon Yvette D'Ath, Member for Redcliffe (ALP), Minister Health and Ambulance Services. Picture: Steve Pohlner

The latest Queensland Health data shows 100 per cent of emergency department category 1 patients – which are the most urgent cases – between July and September this year were seen to within clinically recommended times.

But this fell to 63 per cent for category 2 patients, 62 per cent for category 3 patients and 76 per cent for category 4 patients. Of the category 5 patients, 94 per cent were seen to within the recommended time frame.