Hospital emergency delays hit four hours

MORE than half of critical patients are waiting longer than four hours for a bed at key hospitals across the state, shocking new figures reveal.

Category 1 patients presenting at emergency departments suffering immediately lifethreatening illness or injury are finding themselves in limbo because health workers at hospitals such as Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee, Logan, Redland, Bundaberg, Mackay and Lady Cilento can’t admit them within key times.

Meanwhile, some hospitals assessed as few as 36 per cent of ED patients within clinically recommended times across 2017.

Logan, Ipswich and the Gold Coast University hospitals were consistently ranked the worst places to seek speedy help for patients suffering “imminently life- threatening” to “potentially serious” issues.

An analysis of Queensland Health figures suggests a lack of resources is clogging up EDs as new Health Minister Steven Miles argued more and more people were streaming through their doors.

The latest November figures show 99 per cent of Queensland’s category 1 patients were seen within two minutes of arrival, but only 57 per cent who needed to be admitted could be found a bed within four hours.

Two in five “potentially lifethreatening” category 3 patients were not seen within the recommended 30 minutes and 57 per cent waited more than four hours for admission.

Queensland Health’s own indicators state low percentages “may indicate obstacles to the flow of patients”.

Australian Medical Association Queensland vice- president Dr Jim Finn said the figures reflected difficulties getting patients out of the ED and into hospital for comprehensive treatment.

“We do have a growing population and we have a growing elderly population,” he said of an almost 6 per cent annual increase in arrivals, with the most serious category 1- 3 patients up 9 per cent.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the figures underlined the continued problem of ambulance ramping.