- Gold Coast Health’s Emergency Departments saw 46,816 presentations in the April to June 2023 quarter.
- 15 per cent increase on the number of life-threatening Category 1 presentations, compared to the same quarter last year.
- All 615 Category 1 presentations were seen within the clinically recommended time.
Gold Coast Health’s frontline health staff are seeing a higher number of people with complex illnesses or injuries, with 46,816 emergency department presentations to local hospitals in the most recent quarter.
Patients are given a triage category according to their level of clinical need, with Category 1 the sickest or most seriously injured.
All Category 1 patients were seen within two minutes of arriving at hospital.
In the past year to date, ambulance arrivals to Gold Coast public hospitals have increased by 7 per cent.
Despite the increase in ambulance arrivals, the average hand over was 33 minutes (compared to 37 minutes at the same time last year).
There were 4,309 elective surgeries performed in the June quarter. This is an 8.5 per cent increase on the previous quarter compared to the same time last year.
More than 1,547 emergency surgeries were performed, representing a 2.1 per cent increase.
20,677 patients were seen for initial appointment in a specialist outpatient clinic.
Gold Coast clinicians are committed to delivering specialist outpatient appointments within clinically recommended times.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Shannon Fentiman:
“While we have seen some improvements, we know there is much more work to do.
“Our emergency departments managed a record number of presentations, more than 10,500 than the same quarter last year, and our patient off stretcher times remained steady, at 55 per cent.
“Despite the rapid population growth we’re experiencing, and despite being the busiest in the country, our ambulance service is doing incredible work to look after their communities.
“These improvements would not be possible without the hard work, dedication, and commitment to patient care from our health care workers, who I thank for their tireless efforts.
“I can assure Queenslanders that our $764 million Putting Patients First plan to keep Queenslanders out of hospital is bolstering our frontline health workforce and strengthening the Queensland Ambulance Service.
“It is delivering more beds and delivering the major hospital upgrades and expansions we need to provide the best health-care possible.
“The Palaszczuk Government is making the necessary investments to provide quality healthcare closer to home, for all Queenslanders.”
Gold Coast Health Chief Executive Ron Calvert quote:
“Gold Coast Health Emergency Departments saw more than 187,000 presentations this year. The Gold Coast University Hospital Emergency Department is the busiest in Australia,” he said.
“Our emergency departments work in close partnership with the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) to improve the 30-minute turnaround time for ambulances and get the crews back out into the community for the next job.
“Some initiatives to reduce lost time include a multi-disciplinary team triaging ambulance arrivals and sharing the load between Gold Coast University Hospital, Robina Hospital and the private hospitals.”
