Health Minister caught misleading Queenslanders
New Queensland Health figures show the number of patients staying longer than 24 hours in Emergency Departments across Queensland has skyrocketed by 375% since 2015.
The stats reveal over the past year 17,930 people spent more than 24 hours in a Queensland ED, up from 3772 in 2015, the same year Annastacia Palaszczuk first became Premier.
The extraordinary increase requires urgent explanation given it dwarfs the significantly smaller 59% rise in the number of Queenslanders presenting to EDs over the same period of time.
The figures also shows the number of Queenslanders presenting to EDs actually fell in the past year compared to the year before, despite Health Minister Fenitman falsely claiming this week a record number of people were turning up at EDs.
This week the Health Minister said, “We have seen a record number of people through our EDs in the last year - 2.2 million which is the highest on record.”
In the last year 2,285,320 people did present to a Queensland Emergency Department, but that is a 5.3% decrease on the year before when Queensland Health figures show 2,412,732 arrived at an ED for help.
The Opposition has demanded Shannon Fentiman correct the record for her misleading statements.
West Moreton Health and Hospital Service (HHS) recorded the highest increase of people spending more than 24 hours in an ED from 16 patients in 2015/2016 to 1560 patients last financial year – a breathtaking rise of 9650%.
Other significant increases were recorded in:
Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates said the alarming rise at a time ED presentations were falling is more proof of the chaos and crisis that has engulfed the Palaszczuk Labor Government.
“There was a time when a patient spending an entire day in the Emergency Department was a cause for alarm, but now under Labor it has become the new normal in Queensland,” Ms Bates said.
“The increase in patients who’ve spent more than a day in the ED completely erodes the excuse of the Minister who claims the problem is due to more presentations.
“It is clear Shannon Fentiman does not understand the depths of the Queensland Health Crisis, because the Labor Government is in chaos and crisis.
“Shannon Fentiman’ s claim that a record number of people went through Emergency Departments last year was an epic lie.
“Queensland Health data shows there was a 5.3% decline in the number of ED presentations last financial year, compared to the previous 12 months.
“Her own statistics even show that statement was blatantly misleading.
“Shannon Fentiman is using the same excuses from the Yvette D’Ath playbook, despite promising she would do things differently.
“After eight years, three terms and four Health Ministers, the Queensland Health Crisis has only deteriorated, and patients are paying the price.
“Photo-op Fentiman needs to admit there is a health crisis and be upfront and honest with Queenslanders.”
