News
14 July, 2024
New record for Queensland elective surgeries
Queensland has set a new record for elective surgeries, treating nearly 38,000 patients during the June 2024 quarter.
Queensland has set a new record for elective surgeries, treating nearly 38,000 patients during the June 2024 quarter.
This comes as over 80% of patients received treatment within the clinically recommended timeframes, an improvement on last year’s performance. The number of long waitlist patients dropped by almost 50% in just 12 months, reflecting the state’s efforts to address growing demand.
The latest data shows 37,682 public patients underwent surgery, marking an increase of 1,361 compared to the previous year.
Other notable improvements include a 4.1 percentage point rise in patients treated on time, from 78.5% in June 2023 to 82.6%, and a six-day reduction in the median wait time for patients on the waitlist.
More than half of the surgeries were in general surgery, orthopaedics, and gynaecology. There was also a significant rise in specialist outpatient appointments, with 195,699 people attending their first appointment – an increase of over 18,000 compared to the same period last year.
Emergency departments also had their busiest quarter on record, treating over 592,000 patients while reducing median wait times from 17 to 15 minutes.
These results follow significant improvements in healthcare across the past few quarters, aided by the Miles Government’s Satellite Hospital Program, which has treated over 100,000 patients since its launch.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman praised the hard work of Queensland’s health staff, highlighting the success of initiatives like the $1.14 billion “Putting Patients First” plan.
