‘Concerning’: Tasmanians waiting three times longer for urgent specialist appointments

Tasmanians are waiting three times longer for urgent specialist appointments, Labor says, including a 74yo breast cancer patient. But here’s why she says she’s ‘lucky’ compared to others >

Janine Miller, 74 who is waiting for an urgent appointment at Hobart, with Sarah Lovell MLC. Picture: Chris Kidd

Tasmanians are waiting three times longer for urgent specialist appointments, Labor says.

Janine Miller was placed on the waiting list for an urgent colonoscopy in January after developing painful symptoms for bowel cancer.

Having a family history, Ms Miller was urgently looking for answers but says she was told by the Royal Hobart Hospital that category 1 wait times had blown out to “four to six months”.

The Tasmanian woman has since also been diagnosed with breast cancer while on the waiting list for a colonoscopy, which made her even more anxious to get tests done.

“I knew what sort of crisis we’re in with the health system here so I thought, oh well, I’ll just leave it for a while later and see,” Ms Miller said when the 30-day wait had passed.

“But then, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, it really sort of made me start thinking, oh gosh, I’ve still got the symptoms for the colonoscopy (to check for bowel cancer).

“Maybe … I really need an appointment now because I’m worried that maybe there’s more than the breast cancer.”

Labor’s Community Services Minister Sarah Lovell said Ms Miller’s wait — which she says is three times longer than clinically benchmarked — had “become the norm in Tasmania”.

“The latest health dashboard figures show that Category 1 patients, or those who should be seen within 30 days, are waiting on average 82 days above this time before receiving what could potentially be life changing treatment,” Ms Lovell said.

“What’s just as concerning, is that if Ms Miller didn’t possess the drive or health-literacy to advocate for herself, this wait would have been much longer, potentially putting her life at more risk.”

Janine Miller, 74. Picture: Chris Kidd

Ms Miller was worried other Tasmanians with more severe symptoms were waiting a lot longer.

“I suppose I’m lucky in a way that I am able to navigate the system a little bit and advocate for myself, whereas a lot of people aren’t, so you have to wonder how long they’ll be waiting,” she said.

A Department of Health spokesperson said they were working on improving access and timeliness for urgent appointments.

“We work hard to minimise wait times and prioritise the most urgent appointments and procedures, and we acknowledge the experiences of those who unfortunately experience longer wait times,” they said.

“We are progressing a plan to deliver an additional 22,000 endoscopies over the next four years, following a $38 million investment announced in February that is aimed at reducing wait times for these important procedures.

“We also recognise that there are improvements we can make more broadly in the delivery of outpatient services, which is why we launched a four-year Outpatient Transformation Strategy in November.

“This strategy is focused on reducing wait times for Tasmanians seeking public outpatient services, improving communication, boosting access to telehealth options where appropriate, and better utilising digital technology to enable more efficient delivery of services.”