Queensland elective surgery wait list blowout

A new report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows Queensland hospital waiting lists blowing out under the Palaszczuk Labor Government.

LNP Shadow Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Ros Bates said the report was more evidence of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s broken promises and wrong priorities on health.

“Queensland’s surgery wait time is one of the worst in Australia and higher than the national average under Labor,” Ms Bates said.

“Hospital admissions for surgery have increased by 12 per cent since 2014/15, surgery wait times have blown out by 92 per cent.

“Queensland was leading the nation five years ago under the LNP.

“While Annastacia Palaszczuk wastes money on failed IT systems and changing hospital names, patients are waiting longer for life-saving surgery.

“As a nurse I know that patients on wait lists can suffer more health issues and conditions can get worse.

“Queenslanders have had enough of Labor’s endless excuses and political blame games.

“When it comes to providing better health services, Queenslanders can’t trust Labor.

“The LNP has a plan to get waiting lists under control and our hospitals working.

“The LNP will re-focus our public health system on patient outcomes and better patient care.

“We will ensure our hard-working nurses, doctors and paramedics have the support they need on the front line.

“The LNP will partner with the private sector to reduce waiting lists and ensure surgeries are completed on time.

“Patient care will be our number one priority.”

Source:

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/myhospitals/sectors/elective-surgery (Elective surgery 2018/19, table S4.3)

  • In 2018/19, Queensland surgery patients waited 282 days on average, up from 147 days in 2014/15.
  • 1850 patients waited over a year an increase of 193% in the last four years.
  2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19
Admissions 126,275 141,250 143,447 140,935 142,358
Days waited at 50th percentile 27 29 32 40 41
Days waited at 90th percentile 147 163 211 279 282
% waited over 365 days 0.5 0.4 0.4 1.3 1.3

Surgery wait time changes since 2014/15:

State % change since 2014/15
New South Wales 0.0%
Victoria -17.5%
Queensland 91.8%
Western Australia 48.6%
South Australia 31.9%
Tasmania -19.1%
Australian Capital Territory 31.4%
Northern Territory 5.5%