EMERGENCY department waiting times have blown out at Redland Hospital, with one in four category two patients not treated within nationally accepted bench marks, says Cleveland MP Mark Robinson.
Mr Robinson said a question in parliament also revealed that Queensland Ambulance Service did not record details of ambulance transport diversions from hospitals.
“We know that this measure has been occurring in recent times with patients being transported to city hospitals because Redland Hospital could not accept them,” he said.
Health Minister Cameron Dick said the ambulance service had never recorded diversions.
“This includes the time during which the LNP was in government, of which Mr Robinson would be well aware,” he said. “Paramedics will always take patients to the most clinically appropriate hospital at the time of transport.”
Mr Robinson said Queensland Health data showed the government had failed to provide for the health needs of the growing and ageing Redland community.
“Under questioning in the Queensland Parliament, Health Minister Cameron Dick recently admitted that patients are waiting too long to be treated at the Emergency Department at Redland Hospital,” Mr Robinson said.
“...More than one in four patients with a category two emergency, just below immediately life threatening, and more than one in three patients of all emergency categories were not seen to and treated within the ‘nationally accepted reportable benchmark’.”
Mr Dick said there had been continual growth in emergency department demand across the state, and Redlands was no exception.
“We have also just recorded one of Queensland’s worst flu seasons in recent years, which has placed significant additional demand on our hospital emergency departments and ambulance services,” he said.
In September, at Redland Hospital, 100 per cent of category 1 emergency department patients and 70 per cent of category 2 patients were seen on time.
Mr Dick said that to address demand, the government was spending $10 million on emergency care at some of the state’s busiest hospitals.
He said it was astounding that Mr Robinson would accuse the government of neglecting Redlands, when the Newman government – of which he was a member – sacked 926 staff from the Metro South Hospital and Health Service that covered Redlands.
“Since coming to government we have employed an additional 109 nurses and midwives, 22 doctors and seven allied health workers at Redland Hospital,” he said.
“We have also acquired three new ambulance vehicles for Redland Bay Station and one new ambulance for Russell Island Station.
“We have also announced six critical care paramedics to service the Redlands area.”
Mr Robinson said Labor’s neglect of Redland Hospital also meant no intensive care unit or additional car parking.
