Fraser Coast hospitals continue to treat more patients

Doctors and nurses in the Fraser Coast Health Service are continuing to treat more patients, according to the latest Queensland Health report card.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said the increased activity demonstrated the impact of the additional $10 billion Health Action Plan funding which is expanding the capacity of our public hospitals throughout Queensland.

Mr Robertson said the December 2008 Public Hospitals Quarterly Performance Report show the emergency department at Hervey Bay Hospital treated 8937 patients - an average of 97 people a day.

“Hervey Bay Hospital treated 11,729 people as inpatients or emergencies - an increase of 4.6 per cent (or 519 people) on the December quarter 2007 and admitted 4674 patients, an increase of 11.7 per cent (or 488 patients),” he said.

“It also provided 7,832 outpatient occasions of service in the December quarter 2008, while there were also 171 patients taken off the elective surgery waiting list.”

Mr Robertson said Maryborough hospital provided 5444 outpatient occasions of service - an increase of 12.3 per cent or 595 more people than the previous December quarter.

“The hospital also admitted 199 patients from the elective surgery waiting list,” he said. “This is a decrease of only 5.2 per cent (11 patients).

“Maryborough Hospital treated 6103 inpatients or emergencies and admitted 1248 patients. The hospital treated 5740 people in its emergency department.”

Mr Robertson said the decrease in number of patients admitted from the elective surgery waiting list at both hospitals was due to scheduled Christmas theatre closures and increased emergency department presentations.

The report also reveals there were 259 babies born at the Hervey Bay Hospital.

As at January 1, 2009, at Maryborough Hospital:

• Two category one patients were waiting longer than 30 days for surgery. This compares with four patients at October 1, 2008 and no patients at January 1, 2008.
• Fourteen category two patients were waiting longer than 90 days for surgery. This compares with one patient at October 1, 2008, and 10 patients at January 1, 2008.
• Five category three patients were waiting longer than 365 days for surgery. This compared with 10 patients at October 1, 2008, and 41 patients at January 1, 2008.

Mr Robertson said the increase in category two patients was due to Christmas closures and

some category two figures related to urology patients.

“The current statewide shortage of urologists is making it difficult to recruit however the district is lucky to have a visiting medical officer already seeing patients compared to other districts,’’ he said.

At Hervey Bay Hospital:

• Seven category one patients were waiting longer than 30 days for surgery. This compares with four patients at October 1, 2008, and one patient at January 1, 2008.
• 39 category two patients were waiting longer than 90 days for surgery. This compares with 19 patients at October 1, 2008, and three patients at January 1, 2008.
• 16 category three patients were waiting longer than 365 days for surgery. This compares with 19 patients at October 1, 2008 and 19 patients at January 1, 2008.

Mr Robertson said the rise in category one and two patients was due to an increase in major surgery being performed at Hervey Bay Hospital which involved more theatre time. There also has been an increase in the number of trauma cases.

Christmas theatre closures and staff needing to take leave were also factors, he said.

Ms Norton said this decrease in category three patients for both hospitals was due to the Surgery Connect Program, which has been accessed to reduce long waits.

“It is very pleasing to see there have been improvements in the number of patients waiting longer than necessary for surgery,’’ Ms Norton said.

“We are always looking at way to further improve our service and maintain a decrease in the waiting periods for surgery at both hospitals.’’

In the three months to December 31, 2008, compared to the same quarter in 2007, Queensland hospitals provided:

• A 3.2 per cent increase (or 11,744 more patients) in the number of people treated in emergency departments

• A 5.9 per cent increase (or 12,284 more patients) in the number of people admitted to hospital

• An 8.4 per cent increase (or 8,520 more patients) in the number of people admitted for same day care in a hospital

• A 3.6 per cent increase (or 3,764 more patients) in the number of people admitted for more than one day

• A 0.4 per cent increase (or 3,074 more appointments) in the number of outpatient services provided

• A 6.8 per cent increase (or 1,950 more patients) in the number of people receiving elective surgery, and

• A 4.8 per cent increase (or 482 more babies) in the number of babies born

Mr Robertson said staffing continued to grow strongly. Since 2005 Queensland Health has employed:

• 1,715 more doctors, a 38 per cent increase to 6,267
• 5,778 more nurses, a 26 per cent to 27,689, and
• 2,134 more health practitioners, professional and technical staff, up 31 per cent to 9,068.

Mr Robertson said the quarterly performance report reflected the hard work and commitment of the dedicated Queensland Health staff across the state, and he commended their efforts in providing quality health care to people in their communities.

A complete version of the Queensland Public Hospitals Quarterly Performance (December 2008 quarter) will be available in the What's New section on the Queensland Health website at http://www.health.qld.gov.au/

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.

People received elective surgery = the number of people admitted for elective surgery from the elective surgery waiting list in either Category 1, 2 or 3.

Category 1 – Urgent

Admission within 30 days desirable for a condition that has the potential to deteriorate quickly to the point that it may become an emergency.

Category 2 – Semi-urgent

Admission within 90 days desirable for a condition causing some pain, dysfunction or disability, but which is not likely to deteriorate quickly or become an emergency.

Category 3 – Non-urgent

Admission at some time in the future acceptable for a condition causing minimal or no pain, dysfunction or disability, which is unlikely to deteriorate quickly and which does not have the potential to become an emergency.

Long-wait

Term applied to any waiting time that exceeds the recommendation for that category.

ENDS

MEDIA: Kate Van Poelgeest 3234 1185 or 0458 449 267