Qld health crisis: 10,000 patients forced to wait 24 hours for a bed in emergency departments

More than 10,000 Queenslanders had to wait more than a day for a bed in emergency departments during this financial year alone. See the wait times where you live.

• Series: Health system in crisis
• Editor’s view: Health emergency is real

More than 10,000 Queenslanders were left waiting more than 24 hours for a bed in the state’s emergency departments in the first seven months of this financial year alone.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE HOW LONG THE WAITS WERE WHERE YOU ARE

That means an average of about 50 people are left languishing on any given day – the figures reveal an alarming spike from 2022 when that number was 34 and just 10 in 2016.

In response to a question on notice, the state government said the number of patients waiting more than a day last financial year in emergency departments soared to more than 12,000 – an annual lift of 225 per cent.

But that number is set to be far surpassed by the end of this financial year, with 10,000 patients already listed as waiting more than 24 hours only halfway through the year.

Health system in crisis: The Courier-Mail series

Data also showed that in the worst cases some patients were left hours before even seeing a doctor.

That includes one patient who in January was left languishing in Bundaberg’s emergency department for more than 10 hours before they were seen.

A separate question on notice also revealed people waited longer than clinically recommended to see a specialist doctor.

In the six months to January, the number of those waiting jumped by 18 per cent from 104,000 to 122,532.

The Princess Alexandra hospital in Brisbane, which comes under the Metro South authority where 2085 patients had to wait more than 24 hours for a bed in emergency departments. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

The state’s Opposition said the data was a damning indictment of the management of the health sector.

But the government said the criticism failed to include extraordinary pressures on the system from Covid-19, stretched GPs and aged care patients clogging hospitals.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said it was clear Queensland Health was in crisis and that she should be sacked.

“Minister D’Ath has shown she’s incapable of resuscitating a flatlining health system and should have been sacked months ago,” she said.

But the government said the scale of patients arriving at hospitals had also soared, with the number of those presenting at emergency departments for category one and two levels of urgency more than 100 per cent higher than 2012/13.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the statistics showed patients were being let down.

“Queensland has world class doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals, who are being let down by the failures of this state government.”

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath contested the more than 24 hour wait for treatment as an indication of mismanagement.

“It must be recognised that any patient who had an emergency department stay for longer than 24 hours has been appropriately triaged and started receiving medical treatment in the emergency department,” she said, according to the response in the question of notice.

“These patients would not be situated in a waiting room awaiting clinical care.”

Ms D’Ath also cited recent quarterly data showing 72 per cent of patients presenting at emergency departments in Queensland were seen in the recommended time.

“This nation-leading performance comes despite a significant increase in the most acute categories one – three ED presentations, including a 12 per cent increase in the most urgent category one patients, with 100 per cent of those patients being seen within the recommended two minute time frame,” she said.

Originally published as Qld health crisis: 10,000 patients forced to wait 24 hours for a bed in emergency departments