Qld hospital waiting times top 14 hours from December to March

Queenslanders are still enduring lengthy delays in state hospital emergency departments, with some waiting times topping 14 hours.

Queensland patients waited up to 14 hours in the state’s emergency departments as choked hospitals struggled to cope with soaring demand, new data reveals.

One patient at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital waited more than 14 hours to be seen in February, while in the same month two others waited more than 10.5 hours.

The figures, across four months from December to March, reveal while some hospitals have shown improvements, Queenslanders are still experiencing lengthy delays.

One patient waited 13 hours at Bundaberg Hospital in February while two others waited 12 and 11 hours.

An 11-hour wait was also recorded at Redland Hospital in March.

Logan and Ipswich hospitals each had one patient wait 10 hours.

It’s proof, the LNP says, of Health Minister Shannon Fentiman being unable to ease pressure on hospitals as ambulance ramping hit a record high in the March quarter.

However Ms Fentiman said Queensland’s emergency departments, like others around the world, were treating an increasing numbers of patients.

She noted there had been a significant decrease in the number of patients receiving treatment in emergency departments for more than 24 hours.

This financial year, the number of patients receiving extended treatment fell by 791, despite presentations increasing by 33,698 over the same period last year.

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates

“We know our hospital emergency departments are busier than ever before, with a growing and ageing population, declining private health cover, more complex conditions, and a lack of access to GPs,” Ms Fentiman said.

“One hundred per cent of all category one patients are seen within time.

“While no patient is ever refused care our emergency departments are prioritised for seriously ill and injured patients and unfortunately people with non-urgent conditions may find themselves waiting extended periods of time.

“Less urgent presentations like blisters, hiccups, ingrown toenails, sunburn and medical script requests, place unnecessary pressure on the system and these presentations could be efficiently treated elsewhere.”

Figures also reveal the shortest wait times across the state’s 26 hospitals were no more than one minute, with the majority posting a shortest wait time of less than one minute.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the health system was languishing on life support.

“An overflowing ED waiting room is no place for unwell and injured Queenslanders to be left sitting for more than 12 hours, but under Labor this is happening more and more often,” she said.

“The reality is it’s not safe, it shouldn’t happen and it must stop; only the LNP will heal the health crisis.”

Ms Bates said the government had no plan to ease pressure on the state’s health system, and noted it followed March quarterly data that revealed ambulance ramping was worst on record, at 45 per cent.

The state government’s budget this month lifted Queensland Health’s operating funding by 10.6 per cent, well above the historical average of 6.9 per cent.

It also included a $1.14bn investment to improve the flow of patients through our hospitals and create additional bed capacity in response to the rise in acute hospital presentations.

Originally published as Qld hospital waiting times top 14 hours from December to March