29 October 2021
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Health
Health Dashboard update
Today’s Health Dashboard update demonstrates our commitment to deliver additional elective surgeries is working.
The Dashboard shows the percentage of elective surgery patients seen within clinically recommended times has increased from 44 percent in March 2021 to 55 percent in September 2021.
The average number of overdue days Category 1 patients are waiting has also decreased by 24 percent, from 120 days in March to 91 days in September.
Overall, the waiting list has reduced to 10,776 patients in September down from 12,286 in January 2021.
While there is still work to do, this is very positive news and we will continue to implement our clear plan to reduce the waiting list further,
The September Dashboard also shows demand increases across our health system. To manage this, we have opened more beds and we are continuing to increase available beds in our health system – with 152 new beds coming into our public health system by December 2021.
Emergency Departments in Tasmanian hospitals also continued to experience increasing pressure in September, and we are working with clinicians to look at all options for responding to the rising number of people presenting for care.
On advice from clinicians, medical staffing in the Emergency Department (ED) at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH) will increase by at least 15 percent.
This will provide an additional 10.5 FTE of doctors in our Emergency Department at the Royal Hobart Hospital which will help to manage demand, help improve patients being seen on time, and expand our capacity to manage future increasing demand.
We are also establishing the Outpatient Transformation Program to address the increasing demand on outpatient services, including the development of a State-wide Outpatient Plan for Tasmania to complement the State-wide Elective Surgery Four-Year Plan 2021-25.
Encouragingly, data shows Ambulance Tasmania’s response time fell from 14.5 minutes in August to 13.9 minutes in September, despite the number of incidents requiring an ambulance response reaching near-record levels, at 7,463 across September.
We are also addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on oral health, with our $5 million commitment to create an additional 20,000 dental appointments state-wide.
This funding has also secured the purchase of equipment to assist patients seeking treatment for dentures and will provide clients with more efficient services while reducing the waiting time for dentures.
We will continue to work to implement solutions to the challenges in health, to ensure Tasmanian get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The Health Dashboard is available at https://www.healthstats.dhhs.tas.gov.au/healthsystem.
Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Health spokesperson, 29 October 2021
HealthStats Reveals More Disastrous Scenes at RHH ED
The HealthStats update, released today, once again shows the deepening crisis at the Royal Hobart Hospital, with record low statistics for a third straight month.
Only 28% of patients entering the Royal’s Emergency Department were seen on time in September – a new low. This is even though the number of people presenting to the ED was less than in four of the last six months.
Shockingly, only one third of patients with an imminently life-threatening condition were seen on time at the RHH in September. This is desperately below the national benchmark of 80%.
In fact, the government’s performance in all but one of the triage categories have reached new lows – sliding backwards even further.
These figures outline an alarming situation in the Royal – one the Government should be tackling urgently with significant new investments. While the newly-announced small staffing increase is better than nothing, it won’t go close to properly addressing the crisis.
People’s lives are being put at avoidable risk. This government, however, seem content to ignore this reality and keep tinkering at the edges of the problem.
We need to see a much larger investment in staffing, and a plan to effectively recruit and retain healthcare workers. That plan needs an iron-clad commitment to filling current health vacancies, providing clinical support for all staff, and to making Tasmanian salaries comparable with other jurisdictions.
Without the Liberals doing what is necessary now, Tasmanians can expect further worsening of health outcomes in the months ahead.
Anita Dow MP, Shadow Health Minister, 29 October 2021
Just one in five Tasmanians in life threatening situations seen on time
Just 19 per cent of Tasmanians with potentially life threatening conditions (Category 3) were seen within clinically recommended timeframes at the Royal Hobart Hospital’s Emergency Department according to the Gutwein Liberal Government’s own data released today.
Shadow Health Minister Anita Dow said the data showed that – as Tasmania’s borders are due to open on December 15 – the number of Category 3 ED patients seen on time at the Launceston General Hospital was just 38 per cent.
Ms Dow said in addition, the data shows there has been extremely limited movement in elective surgeries carried out with an unacceptable 10,776 patients still languishing on the wait list.
Additionally, 18,193 Tasmanians remain on the oral health waiting list for dental procedures.
“The Health Minister Mr Rockliff can spin this data any way he sees fit but the fact is the elective surgery waiting list actually grew between August and September and the oral health waiting list decreased by just 20 patients,” Ms Dow said.
“As we prepare to open our borders and as the Premier has said the COVID delta variant will arrive in Tasmania, that’s extremely concerning as we will potentially see more and more procedures cancelled and the list grow.
“What’s more concerning is the possibility of COVID causing even more intense pressure on emergency departments which are already stretched beyond breaking point and are in the worst shape they have ever been.
“With just 19 per cent of patients suffering extremely serious illnesses at the RHH and 38 per cent of patients at the LGH seen on time, there are serious questions about how our hospitals can possibly handle the increased pressure COVID presents. To date, Mr Rockliff hasn’t provided the Tasmanian community any answers.
“Mr Rockliff cannot deny the health system remains in crisis with no end in sight and the very real possibility that a delta outbreak will see more and more patients presenting for treatment with nowhere near enough resources to cope.
“And with the government threatening to sack health staff by this Sunday the health crisis is appearing unfortunately more and more grim.”
