THE waiting time for treatment at Logan Hospital was among the poorest in Australia in November, according to Queensland Health figures.
With a median wait time to treatment of 33 minutes, the hospital fell within the poorest performing group of hospitals in the country.
The latest data shows 62 per cent of patients were transferred off-stretcher within 30 minutes.
A total of 47 per cent of patients were seen within clinically recommended times. Of these, all patients that presented in an immediately life-threatening condition were seen within the recommended two minutes.
Of those presenting as imminently life-threatening, 46 per cent were seen within the recommended 10 minutes of arriving and 41 per cent of patients with potentially life-threatening were seen within 30 minutes.
Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said the data on emergency department performance showed a health system in crisis.
“Queenslanders deserve a world-class health system and Labor isn’t working to deliver the services we need,” she said.
“Our nurses, doctors and paramedics need more assistance to improve wait times and targeted resources to provide better health services for Queenslanders.
“We have a health crisis on our hands.”
Health Minister Steven Miles said last year’s flu surge had a huge impact on emergency department performance.
He said more than 55,000 cases of flu were confirmed in the state last year, which was more than three times the five-year average.
“Paramedics and our emergency department clinicians worked tirelessly last year to make sure critically ill people were seen on time,” Mr Miles said.
“But the surge in flu patients did make things more difficult.”
Mr Miles said across Queensland 99 per cent of the most critically ill patients were seen within two minutes of arriving at emergency departments.
“In addition, more than 75 per cent of all presentations were completed within four hours which compares favourably with other states and territories across Australia.”
Mr Miles said government was spending $679 million to upgrade Logan, Ipswich and Caboolture hospitals.
At Logan this would result in an extra 182 beds and a new maternity ward.
“These initiatives are going a long way to help meet this increasing demand but we also need support from the community, which is why we’re asking the public to keep our ambulances and emergency departments for emergencies only,” Mr Miles said.
