Ayr Hospital: Patients left waiting for hours to access ‘essential’ CT scanners

Burdekin patients face waits of up to five hours to get a CT scan due to the Ayr Hospital being under-equipped, with overburdened ambulances left to drive them 88km to Townsville.

Burdekin patients face waits of up to five hours to get a CT scan due to the Ayr Hospital being under-equipped, with overburdened ambulances left to drive them 88km to Townsville.

The Burdekin Community Advisory Network (CAN) has renewed calls for the government to make a $2.8m commitment to purchase a CT scanner for Ayr Hospital to give locals high-quality care closer to home.

CT or computed tomography scans use X-rays and digital computer technology to give detailed images of the body and are often used to diagnose conditions.

The Burdekin only has one machine, which is privately owned, leaving patients who require a scan outside of business hours with no other option but to be transported 88km to Townsville University Hospital.

It’s estimated up to 15 patients are forced to make this journey each week, with ambulance transfers taking up to five hours for a round trip if the Townsville hospital is at capacity.

A CT (computerised tomography) scan is a medical test that helps diagnose medical conditions

A 58-year-old woman, whose name has been withheld, said she presented to the emergency department in Ayr showing signs of a stroke one night.

She needed to be taken to Townsville for a scan, but the hospital already had another patient and nurse in an ambulance heading that way.

She faced an hours-long wait for the ambulance to return, which delayed her diagnosis and treatment.

CAN chair Kaylee Boccalatte said the CT scanner was an “essential piece of equipment” and that acquiring one for the hospital was about ensuring equal access for rural patients.

Burdekin Community Advisory Network chair Kaylee Boccalatte.

“Regional people matter. Investing in a CT Scanner at the Ayr Hospital will improve equity of access for our regional community and cater to the increasing demands associated with an ageing population.”

“The Burdekin CAN commend the dedicated staff of the Ayr and Home Hill hospitals, who put the patients at the forefront of what they do and deliver high-quality, person-centred care every day.”

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said Queensland Health regularly reviews services and facilities to ensure they continue to meet current and expected future demand.

“The development and provision of new CT services must demonstrate sufficient and sustainable demand, which in turn ensures appropriate levels of staffing and ongoing maintenance of staff skills to ensure clinically safe and sustainable services,” she said.

The Palaszczuk Labor Government has previously refused to commit to buying CT scanners for district hospitals that don’t have them in Ingham and Ayr.

In October it announced the Charters Towers Health Service would get the town’s first CT scanner with an initial investment of $2.25m to plan and develop a medical imaging service in the community.

Originally published as Ayr Hospital: Patients left waiting for hours to access ‘essential’ CT scanners