CHHHS performance data reveals more than 43,000 presentations

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service emergency departments have seen almost 44,000 presentations in three months, according to the latest performance data. See how the regions health centres performed.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service emergency department have seen almost 44,000 presentations in three months, with almost 80 per cent of patients seen within recommended times according to the latest Queensland Health performance data.

The data revealed there was a 20 per cent increase in the number of attendances requiring the most urgent care, up from 449 to 539 patients in the three months from October to December.

Despite the increase, all patients within category one were seen within two minutes.

However, for patients who fell within category two - classed as having imminently life-threatening injuries who should be seen by a treating doctor or nurse within 10 minutes of arriving - that figure fell to 77 per cent.

Less urgent patients were overwhelmingly seen in clinically recommended times, including 92 per cent of Category 5 patients.

79 per cent of all patients were seen on time, more than 10 per cent greater than Queensland’s percentage for 2022-23.

The Cairns Hospital emergency department. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

Only three per cent of patients did not wait for treatment.

There were 43,785 presentations across CHHHS emergency departments, down four per cent quarter on quarter, with Cairns Hospital ED recording 21,544 presentations over the three months.

Emergency departments within the catchment include Cairns, Atherton, Innisfail, Mareeba, Mossman, Tully and Babinda.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service chief executive Leena Singh said the health service had several initiatives in place to improve hospital performance and increase capacity to meet future demand and the community’s expectations for a safe, accessible, and sustainable health system.

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) CEO Lena Singh. Picture: Brendan Radke

“The $26.4 million expansion of the Cairns Hospital Emergency Department is currently on schedule for completion this year,” she said.

“In early 2023, we opened a dedicated 45-bed Sub Acute Care Unit off-site from Cairns Hospital, along with the repurposing of 12 beds at Gordonvale Hospital in February 2023.

“This paved the way to open our new Surgical and Orthopaedic Assessment Unit at Cairns Hospital earlier this year, which has improved patients’ timely access to surgery and orthopaedic surgery, creating additional capacity at Cairns Hospital and lessening the pressure on beds for the most serious cases.”

Ms Singh said construction of the new purpose-built mental health building at Cairns Hospital was also well under way.

“This new unit will deliver five additional mental health beds as well as consolidate our acute mental health inpatient services and staff.”

Across the region’s emergency departments, patients were waiting a median of 15 minutes to receive treatment with patients in Cairns Hospital’s ED waiting 13 minutes.

More elective surgeries were performed last quarter, with a 4.5 per cent increase compared to the same time last year with waitlists dropping by 13 per cent.

Ms Singh said CHHHS’ clinically led Patient Flow Intensive Program was looking at improvements for addressing patient flow across the hospital.

“This program includes initiatives such as redesigning and improving the model of care for medical patients; early senior clinical decision making; improving patient flow; and improving our ED mental health services,” she said.

Originally published as CHHHS performance data reveals more than 43,000 presentations