Bundaberg Base Hospital ED wait times worst in state

The Australian Medical Association has penned a damning report of the state of national hospitals, with the Bundaberg Base Hospital ranking the worst in Qld for emergency wait times.

Bundaberg Base Hospital.

Chronic underfunding, waiting room deaths and ambulance ramping are just some of the issues facing Australian hospitals, according to a damning report from the Australian Medical Association.

The Bundaberg Base Hospital was one of 199 hospitals assessed across the nation, and one of 26 in the state in two main performance categories: emergency department and elective surgery.

In no category did the Bundaberg Base Hospital receive a 100 per cent treatment rate, ranking the worst in the state for emergency treatment within recommended time.

Ninety-seven per cent of patients at the Bundaberg Base Hospital classed within Triage Category One – requiring treatment immediately – were seen within the appropriate amount of time.

Of all national hospitals assessed, only 24 ranked under 100 per cent and the Bundaberg Base was the only hospital in Queensland that failed to achieve a ranking of 99 per cent or more.

The Bundaberg Base Hospital.

In Triage Category Two – requiring treatment within 10 minutes – only 40 per cent were seen within the appropriate amount of time.

Only two other hospitals in the nation scored worse.

The stats for Triage Category Three – requiring treatment within 30 minutes – are not much better, with only 43 per cent of patients receiving care in time.

Only 16 per cent of hospitals in the state ranked the same or worse.

In Triage Category Four – requiring treatment within an hour – only 55 per cent of patients were seen in the appropriate amount of time.

In Triage Category Five – requiring treatment within two hours – 84 per cent of patients were seen within the appropriate amount of time, well within the national average.

In terms of elective surgery, which was broken into three performance sectors, the Bundaberg Base scored better.

Hospital wait times have risen in the past few years according to patient advocates.

In Category One – needing treatment within 30 days – the hospital treated 99 per cent of patients within the recommended time, with only one hospital in the state treating 100 per cent.

In Category Two – needing treatment within 90 days – the hospital treated 88 per cent of patients, the fifth best ranking in the state.

In Category Three – needing treatment within 365 days – the hospital treated 91 per cent of patients, the seventh best ranking in the state.

The AMA has called for an urgent recovery plan “to address the backlog of elective surgeries, build enough capacity to meet the growing needs of the community, and clear the hospital logjam”.

Increased funding, pay-for-performance targets, alternative models of care and improvement activities are just some of the solutions suggested.

“Urgent reform of public hospital funding is needed – and an end to the blame game,” the report said.

Originally published as Bundaberg Base Hospital ED wait times worst in state