Gold Coast hospital ramping: Dog attack victim Sarah Keevers’ agonising wait for ambos

A dog attack victim had her friend drive her to hospital after waiting too long for an ambulance. It comes as shocking ambulance ramping figures are released. DETAILS

Two Gold Coast hospitals are among the worst in the state for specialist outpatients not treated on time, according to new quarterly data.

It also shows ambulance ramping jumped by 21.4 per cent to 45 per cent at Robina Hospital from June 2020 to June 2021.

Meanwhile, ramping increased by 15.9 per cent to 48 per cent at Gold Coast University Hospital.

The data was provided via the Queensland Health website.

Of the 2678 people waiting for specialist outpatient appointments at Robina Hospital for the September 2021 quarter, 33 per cent were not seen on time.

Robina came in fourth worst for the number of specialist outpatients not seen on time, behind Nambour, Logan, Cairns, Ipswich and the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Of the 34,922 people waiting for specialist outpatient appointments at GCUH for the same quarter, 31 per cent were not seen on time.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said Queenslanders deserved a world class health system no matter where they lived.

“If the embattled Health Minister can’t fix our hospitals, then she must go,” Ms Bates said.

“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it is for our exhausted frontline staff who aren’t getting the support they need.

“Our dedicated doctors, nurses and paramedics are heroes holding our hospital together during the Queensland Health crisis.”

Outside of the Gold Coast University Hospital at Parkwood. Picture Mike Batterham

Last week, the state government launched a health inquiry to focus on the problems plaguing Queensland’s under-pressure health system – but only the parts the Commonwealth is responsible for.

The inquiry will look at how primary and allied health care, aged and NDIS care and private health impact on the state’s public health system.

But it won’t review the state’s ramping crisis, its shortage of hospital beds, workforce planning concerns or the lack of mental health and palliative care services, which experts have wanted probes into for months.

Defending the review, Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said: “We already know what’s happening inside our hospitals, what we don’t have control of is what’s happening outside our hospitals that’s putting demand on our hospital system.”

A large proportion of people who end up in hospital are ending up there from preventable diseases or conditions that are manageable in the primary sector, she said.

“So that is such a major part of the pressures on health systems.”

Asked why she hadn’t initiated reviews called for previously, she said the government already knew about those problems and were working on solutions.

Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union boss Beth Mohle said she’d ignore the terms of reference as “we’ll raise whatever we need to”.

The Opposition has called for a number of solutions to improve the system including real time data on available hospital beds, improvements to triaging, an investment in more beds and allowing front line clinicians the power to run hospitals using local expertise and decision-making.

Qld Health Minister Yvette D’Ath speaks to the media at Parliament House in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

Coast dog attack victim left waiting in vain

A GOLD Coast dog attack victim gave up waiting for an ambulance to take her to hospital after waiting in vain for about 30 minutes.

Sarah Keevers had both hands badly bitten and spent four days in hospital after being attacked by a dog about 5.45am on November 19 at Salacia Waters, Paradise Point.

A passer-by called an ambulance for Ms Keevers because her hands were too injured to use a phone.

Sarah Thompson-Keevers and her dog Hank the Staffordshire Terrier were savagely attacked by a dog in Biggera Waters last week. Picture Glenn Hampson

She said her friend ended up taking her to Gold Coast University Hospital’s emergency department after two calls requesting an ambulance and about a 30 minute wait.

“A decision was made that it was a quicker, better option that we would take our own vehicle to emergency rather than sit on the road and wait for an ambulance,” she said.

The Coombabah woman said while “disappointed” with the outcome, she acknowledged the pressure first responders faced.

“My personal opinion is that for a dog attack, you think it would be a high priority.”

A Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said it triaged cases to ensure the most life threatening cases were responded to as a priority. “This case was triaged appropriately on the information received by the caller,” the spokesperson said.