Australian Medical Association Public Hospital Report Card 2024: Tasmania among worst performing states

Tasmania’s public hospital system is below the national average on four key performance indicators, according to a damning new report from the AMA. Why they say change is needed >>

AMA Tasmania President Dr John Saul. Picture: Chris Kidd

Tasmania’s public hospital system is among the worst performing in the country, with the state’s emergency department waiting times being singled out as “well below” the national average in a damning new report.

The Australian Medical Association’s 2024 Public Hospital Report Card has found that while Tasmanian hospitals improved their results in Category 2 surgery and median planned surgery waiting times in 2022-23, the state is sitting below the Australian average in all four of the report’s key performance indicators.

For planned surgery, the median waiting time is four days longer than the national average, while the proportion of Category 2 patients admitted on time is 12 per cent below the national average.

Just 51 per cent of emergency department visits are being completed within the recommended time frame of four hours or less, putting Tasmania close to the bottom of the scorecard in that category.

Royal Hobart Hospital. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

According to the most recent public hospital funding data (from 2021-22), the majority of funding in Tasmania (58 per cent) is from the state government, which is in line with the Australian average of 59 per cent.

Australian Medical Association Tasmania president Dr John Saul said the report highlighted areas that “demand urgent attention”.

“We know that the ongoing decline in performance is affecting the morale of our doctors and their healthcare colleagues; poses a risk to the reputation of Tasmania’s healthcare system; and potentially hinders urgently needed recruitment efforts,” he said.

“Although bed and access blocks aren’t the sole obstacles, they represent significant challenges within the public system. They contribute to ambulance ramping, prolonged elective surgery wait times, and extended emergency department stays, disrupting patient flow and limiting surge capacity.”

Dr Saul said “systemic changes” were needed for “long-term efficiency and sustainability” in Tasmania’s hospitals and “the state government can only do so much”.

Labor health spokeswoman Ella Haddad said the AMA report reaffirmed “just how dire the health crisis in Tasmania is”.

“The state government must listen to health workers and [the] community, and deliver meaningful solutions to lift outcomes and give Tasmanians access to the healthcare they need and deserve; and relieve the pressure on doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals,” she said.

Labor member for Clark Ella Haddad.

A Health Department spokesman said the department was working hard to “improve patient care and outcomes in our health system, as demands on the system increase”.

“Delays in discharging medically ready patients as a result of aged care and NDIS related assessment or approvals are a significant factor contributing to bed block in our hospitals,” he said.

“Recognising the Commonwealth’s responsibility for funding primary care, aged care and the NDIS, the department continues to work with the Commonwealth to advocate for improved outcomes across these service areas in Tasmania.”

The spokesman said the department was delivering additional bed capacity, recruiting hundreds of extra staff, and improving “access and flow” for patients.

Tasmania’s Health System Dashboard shows that just 48 per cent of patients were discharged from ED within four hours in February, a 3 per cent decrease on the same month last year.

There are 8220 patients on the state’s elective surgery waiting list and only 62 per cent of them are being treated on time.

Meanwhile, the median ambulance emergency response time was at 15.1 minutes, up from 14.6 minutes in February last year.