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.
All 264 Category 1 patients – the most urgent cases – were seen by a clinician within two minutes of arriving at Darling Downs hospital emergency departments, while 69 per cent of all cases were seen within clinically recommended times.
In the first six months of 2023 we had 16,868 category 5 patients come to DD emergency departments seeking treatment, many of whom could have sought their less-urgent treatment elsewhere.
Patients with conditions such as UTIs, earaches and ingrown toenails don’t necessarily need to attend an emergency department.
In the most extreme case from May to July, a Toowoomba Hospital patient waited over eleven hours to be seen.
However, during the June quarter, 47,766 people presented to Darling Downs Health emergency departments, which is an 8 per cent increase compared to the same time last year.
But despite the increased demand with an additional 3,724 presentations, the median wait time across all five categories was only 18 minutes.
At Toowoomba Hospital, the Patient Off Stretcher Time (POST) improved with 67 percent of patients being transferred off a QAS stretcher within 30 minutes. This is an increase from 64 percent during the June 2022 quarter.
