Queensland’s public hospitals have maintained their high standards and dedication to patient care in the face of rising demand on health services, according to Queensland Health’s latest December Quarter 2021 Performance Data.
Welcomed by Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Yvette D’Ath the Department’s report revealed record activity in the State’s already busy emergency departments.
Ms D’Ath said the results came during a heightened period of demand on health services due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the last three months of 2021, more than 640,000 people presented to an emergency department in a Queensland public hospital – a nine per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2020,” Ms D’Ath said.
“There were 4,094 Category 1 patients – the most urgent cases where minutes can mean the difference between life and death – who attended our emergency departments during those three months and they were all seen by a clinician within two minutes of arriving.
“There were 10 per cent more Category 2 presentations in the December 2021 quarter compared to the same period in 2020 and most of these patients were also seen within the recommended times.”
Ms D’Ath said the median wait time for treatment in Queensland emergency departments across all five presentation categories was only 14 minutes.
“These results are testament to the skill and commitment of our frontline personnel and the exceptional level of planning and preparation during COVID-19 to successfully meet the twin challenges of a pandemic and other healthcare needs,” she said.
Chief Operating Officer of Queensland Health, Shaun Drummond said the hospitals worked hard to limit the impact of COVID-19 on elective surgeries, with a slight drop of 3.4 per cent between December 2020 and 2021.
“As we responded to the increasing demand on our health services due to the ongoing pandemic, we also had to reschedule some appointments,” Mr Drummond said.
“However, all urgent and semi-urgent outpatients were still seen during this time,” he said.
Queensland Health’s latest data can be accessed at this PS News link.
