At a time when record numbers of patients are attending Queensland Emergency Departments, the most critical patients are still being seen on time.
However, less serious patients are being reminded that accessing treatment from more appropriate sources – such as GPs, pharmacies, Satellite Hospitals, or Urgent Care Clinics – will help keep emergency departments available for emergencies.
The latest Queensland Health performance data shows that all category 1 patients – the most urgent cases – who presented to the Cairns Hospital emergency department were seen by a clinician within two minutes of arriving, while 73 per cent of all cases were seen within clinically recommended times.
Patients with conditions such as UTIs, earaches and ingrown toenails don’t necessarily need to attend an emergency department.
In the three-month period from April to June this year, 6,368 category 5 patients attend Cairns and Hinterland Hospital emergency departments seeking treatment, many of whom could have sought their less-urgent treatment elsewhere.
Some presentations included requests for medical certificates, basic over-the-counter prescriptions, and suture removals.
In the most extreme case, a Cairns Hospital patient waited over 7 hours to be seen by an emergency department.
