Mass walkouts at Gold Coast emergency departments as patients refuse to wait

A stunning amount of people are walking out of Gold Coast hospital emergency waiting rooms because treatment takes too long, with the Coast now recording the worst walkout rates across the state.

GOLD Coasters are increasingly shunning hospital waiting rooms with the city now recording the worst walkout rates across the state.

Nearly 1200 people walked out of public emergency departments in Southport and Robina before finishing treatment in November.

The Gold Coast University Hospital recorded the worst figures in the state with 6 per cent of patients walking out without any treatment.

The latest data from Queensland Health shows 844 people left Gold Coast hospitals before treatment had even begun.

Gold Coast University Hospital had the highest number of pre-treatment walkouts in November with 709 emergency department patients leaving. Photo: Glenn Hampson

This included one patient triaged as life-threatening category one, which according to clinical guidelines, should be treated immediately, and 14 category two patients, the ­second most serious category, who should be seen by a doctor within 10 minutes of arrival.

A further 331 patients left after treatment had started, including 23 triage one and two cases.

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The majority of those leaving were evaluated as triage three, meaning they had been suffering “serious illness or injury” but were in a stable condition, according to Queensland Health.

The report also revealed almost half of Gold Coast patients continue to be treated outside of the clinically recommended time frame.

47 per cent of triage two patients were not seen within the appropriate time at Gold Coast University Hospital in November, along with 25 per cent at Robina Hospital.

Robina Hospital had 466 walkouts before completely treatment in November 2018.

The state’s Shadow Health Minister, and Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates said the latest figures were “appalling”.

“The Gold Coast public health system is lurching from crisis to crisis,” she said.

“This shows that the Gold Coast’s public hospitals literally bursting at the seams, as a nurse, I know that our hardworking nurses, midwives, doctors and paramedics need more help on the frontline.”

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A Gold Coast Health spokeswoman told The Bulletin the Gold Coast University Hospital is the state’s busiest emergency department and one of the most in-demand in the country.

“There are a variety of reasons a person may choose not to wait for treatment, including

that they seek treatment at a GP instead, their symptoms improve or they realise it’s not

an emergency,” she said.

About one in every five presentations to a Gold Coast emergency room in the 2017-2018 financial year was deemed to be low priority, the spokeswoman said, including 1233 ankle sprains, more than 1307 urinary tract infections, 39 people seeking a medical certificate, 20 people with sunburn and 1 case of acne.

NOVEMBER 2018

Gold Coast University Hospital

Patients who didn’t wait for treatment: 614 (6%)

Patients who didn’t finish treatment: 95

Patients seen within recommended clinical guidelines: 51%

Robina Hospital

Patients who didn’t wait for treatment: 230 (4%)

Patients who didn’t finish treatment: 236

Patients seen within recommended clinical guidelines: 59%

NOVEMBER 2017

Gold Coast University Hospital

Patients who didn’t wait for treatment: 355 (4%)

Patients who didn’t finish treatment: 70

Patients seen within recommended clinical guidelines: 53%

Robina Hospital

Patients who didn’t wait for treatment: 138 (3%)

Patients who didn’t finish treatment: 133

Patients seen within recommended clinical guidelines: 55%