Queensland patients and paramedics wait nearly eight hours

Patients at some of Queensland’s biggest hospitals were forced to wait nearly eight hours before being offloaded, in another sign the Queensland Health Crisis has failed to improve under Labor Minister Shannon Fentiman.

Labor’s chaos and crisis saw patients and paramedics stuck on the ramp for extraordinary amounts of time during the last quarter of 2023.

New health data released by the State Government to the LNP via a Parliamentary Question on Notice revealed the longest wait times for patients included:

7 hours 57 minutes at Princess Alexandra Hospital

7 hours 35 minutes at Logan Hospital

7 hours 27 minutes at Mater Public Hospital

7 hours 05 minutes at Ipswich Hospital

6 hours 09 minutes at Queen Elizabeth Hospital

5 hours 18 minutes at Caboolture Hospital

Shadow Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Ros Bates said Queenslanders can’t trust the Palaszczuk-Miles Labor Government to fix the Queensland Health Crisis.

“As a nurse and former hospital administrator, I know how stressful it is for patients who are forced to wait in the back of an ambulance or a hospital corridor for hours,” said Ms Bates.

“This is a sign of a broken system and a Labor Government in chaos and crisis.

“Shannon Fentiman lies about the state of our hospitals. She has created a culture of fear and cover-ups.

“Whistle-blowers are coming to the LNP because the Labor Government is no longer listening.

“The Queensland Health Crisis is real and Queensland has the worst ambulance ramping in the country.

“The Palaszczuk-Miles Government inherited an ambulance ramping rate of 15% in 2015, but since then it has blown out to 43%.

“I want to thank our hard working doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals who are working around the clock to keep the health system on the rails.

“Frontline staff are exhausted and feel disrespected and undervalued by Labor.

“My message to them is simple, things will change and improve under a future LNP Government.

“Patient care must always be the top priority, but Shannon Fentiman is more interested in trying to fix her shattered reputation as the worst Health Minister in Queensland’s history.

“The LNP has put solutions on the table to help heal the Queensland Health Crisis, including better resources, better triaging, sharing data in real-time and putting doctors and nurses back in charge to improve patient care.

“Queenslanders shouldn’t have to wait months to find out how their hospitals are performing and that’s why the LNP has committed to releasing data in real-time, within the first 100 days of government.

“Only the LNP has the right priorities for Queensland’s future.”

ENDS
Longest patient off-stretcher times – December quarter 2023

Hospital
Date
Duration
Bundaberg
December 2023
3 hours 31 mins
Caboolture
November 2023
5 hours 18 mins
Cairns
December 2023
3 hours 07 mins
Gladstone
November 2023
2 hours 10 mins
Gold Coast University
December 2023
3 hours 34 mins
Gympie
December 2023
3 hours 21 mins
Hervey Bay
October 2023
3 hours 33 mins
Ipswich
October 2023
7 hours 05 mins
Logan
December 2023
7 hours 35 mins
Mackay
October 2023
3 hours 26 mins
Maryborough
November 2023
2 hours 21 mins
Mater Public
December 2023
7 hours 27 mins
Mt Isa
October 2023
1 hour 14 mins
Nambour
November 2023
2 hours 46 mins
Prince Charles
October 2023
2 hours 19 mins
Princess Alexandra
October 2023
7 hours 57 mins
Queen Elizabeth
November 2023
6 hours 09 mins
Queensland Childrens
December 2023
2 hours 16 mins
Redcliffe
November 2023
2 hours 38 mins
Redlands
November 2023
4 hours 44 mins
Robina
October 2023
4 hours 06 mins
Rockhampton
October 2023
3 hours 45 mins
Sunshine Coast
November 2023
3 hours 14 mins
Toowoomba
October 2023
3 hours 43 mins
Townsville
December 2023
2 hours 17 mins

Source: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2024/183-2024.pdf