More patients and more care at QEII Hospital
Published Thursday, 06 November, 2008 at 04:15 PM
Minister for Health
The Honourable Stephen Robertson
QEII Hospital is treating more patients, and presentations to its emergency department is increasing each year at four times population growth according to the latest hospital figures.
Health Minister and Member for Stretton Stephen Robertson today released the Queensland Public Hospitals Performance Report for the September Quarter 2008.
The Report showed QEII Hospital treated 11,642 people as emergency or inpatients, during the September quarter, a 10.6 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Mr Robertson said hard working emergency department staff treated 9,146 patients over the three months.
“That’s an average of 99 presentations each day - an 8.8 per cent increase compared to the same quarter last year and a 16.5 per cent increase over the past two years,” he said.
“The number of patients who needed to be admitted to the hospital also increased - by 4.5 per cent to 4718 inpatients in the September 2008 quarter.
“There was also an increase in the number of patients seen by QEII Hospital’s busy specialist outpatient clinics, with the hospital providing 16,487 specialist outpatient appointments - a 5.4 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Mr Robertson said the figures reflected the increased demand for health services across Brisbane’s Southside and across Queensland, which is fast outstripping population growth.
“The increase in demand for services on Brisbane’s Southside more than validates the Bligh Government’s $95.4 million investment in establishing a dedicated elective surgery centre at QEII Hospital,” he said.
“This project is a key component of Queensland Health’s commitment to continue to improve elective surgery services to Southside residents while treating record numbers of patients through the hospital’s emergency department.
Mr Robertson said the new dedicated Elective Surgery Centre at QEII hospital will be opened in 2009 and is part of the Bligh Government’s $10 billion Health Action Plan to expand existing and build new hospitals throughout Queensland to meet the needs of our growing population.
These increases in patient appointments and treatment at QEII Hospital is a real credit to our Queensland Health staff, all of whom have contributed to these positive results for the community in which they work.
Statewide, the September 2008 Quarterly Public Hospital Performance Report shows that compared to the same time last year there has been:
• a 5.8 per cent increase in emergency department attendances;
• a 5.9 per cent increase in hospital admissions;
• a 6.2 per cent increase in specialist outpatient appointments;
• an 8.9 per cent increase in elective surgery procedures;
• and a 17.6 per cent reduction in patients waiting longer than clinically desirable for their elective surgery.
“This report shows our hospitals are working harder than ever, but the strategies this Government has put in place are making strong improvements to ensuring more Queenslanders receive the timely health care they need and deserve,” Mr Robertson said.
“I have nothing but praise for our dedicated QEII staff and I thank them for all their hard work.
The Quarterly Public Hospitals Performance Report (Sept quarter) is available in the ‘What's New’ section of the Queensland Health website at www.health.qld.gov.au
Ends.
MEDIA: Kate Van Poelgeest 3234 1185 or Martin Philip 3235 2680
Definitions:
Outpatient services provided = the number of outpatient and other non-admitted services minus services such as emergency, pharmacy, pathology, diagnostic imaging, community health services, district nursing services and other outreach services.
People treated as inpatients or emergencies = the number of admitted patient episodes plus the number of emergency services not resulting in admission. For example, some people will attend the Emergency Department and then be admitted to hospital. These people will only be counted once as inpatients and not counted as emergency patients for this particular figure.
People admitted to hospital = the number of admitted patient episodes of care. For example, one person might be admitted to hospital on two separate occasions, they would then be counted as two episodes of care.
People treated in emergency departments = the number of accident and emergency services provided. For example, a patient attends emergency three times, then it is counted as three separate attendances to the emergency department.
Health Minister and Member for Stretton Stephen Robertson today released the Queensland Public Hospitals Performance Report for the September Quarter 2008.
The Report showed QEII Hospital treated 11,642 people as emergency or inpatients, during the September quarter, a 10.6 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Mr Robertson said hard working emergency department staff treated 9,146 patients over the three months.
“That’s an average of 99 presentations each day - an 8.8 per cent increase compared to the same quarter last year and a 16.5 per cent increase over the past two years,” he said.
“The number of patients who needed to be admitted to the hospital also increased - by 4.5 per cent to 4718 inpatients in the September 2008 quarter.
“There was also an increase in the number of patients seen by QEII Hospital’s busy specialist outpatient clinics, with the hospital providing 16,487 specialist outpatient appointments - a 5.4 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Mr Robertson said the figures reflected the increased demand for health services across Brisbane’s Southside and across Queensland, which is fast outstripping population growth.
“The increase in demand for services on Brisbane’s Southside more than validates the Bligh Government’s $95.4 million investment in establishing a dedicated elective surgery centre at QEII Hospital,” he said.
“This project is a key component of Queensland Health’s commitment to continue to improve elective surgery services to Southside residents while treating record numbers of patients through the hospital’s emergency department.
Mr Robertson said the new dedicated Elective Surgery Centre at QEII hospital will be opened in 2009 and is part of the Bligh Government’s $10 billion Health Action Plan to expand existing and build new hospitals throughout Queensland to meet the needs of our growing population.
These increases in patient appointments and treatment at QEII Hospital is a real credit to our Queensland Health staff, all of whom have contributed to these positive results for the community in which they work.
Statewide, the September 2008 Quarterly Public Hospital Performance Report shows that compared to the same time last year there has been:
• a 5.8 per cent increase in emergency department attendances;
• a 5.9 per cent increase in hospital admissions;
• a 6.2 per cent increase in specialist outpatient appointments;
• an 8.9 per cent increase in elective surgery procedures;
• and a 17.6 per cent reduction in patients waiting longer than clinically desirable for their elective surgery.
“This report shows our hospitals are working harder than ever, but the strategies this Government has put in place are making strong improvements to ensuring more Queenslanders receive the timely health care they need and deserve,” Mr Robertson said.
“I have nothing but praise for our dedicated QEII staff and I thank them for all their hard work.
The Quarterly Public Hospitals Performance Report (Sept quarter) is available in the ‘What's New’ section of the Queensland Health website at www.health.qld.gov.au
Ends.
MEDIA: Kate Van Poelgeest 3234 1185 or Martin Philip 3235 2680
Definitions:
Outpatient services provided = the number of outpatient and other non-admitted services minus services such as emergency, pharmacy, pathology, diagnostic imaging, community health services, district nursing services and other outreach services.
People treated as inpatients or emergencies = the number of admitted patient episodes plus the number of emergency services not resulting in admission. For example, some people will attend the Emergency Department and then be admitted to hospital. These people will only be counted once as inpatients and not counted as emergency patients for this particular figure.
People admitted to hospital = the number of admitted patient episodes of care. For example, one person might be admitted to hospital on two separate occasions, they would then be counted as two episodes of care.
People treated in emergency departments = the number of accident and emergency services provided. For example, a patient attends emergency three times, then it is counted as three separate attendances to the emergency department.