Queenslanders in need of medical care can now check the performance of the State’s 25 major emergency departments and seven satellite hospitals, thanks to the State Government’s launch of a real-time hospital data online portal.
For the first time in Queensland, data on critical information such as median patient wait times and the number of patients who have been triaged and awaiting treatment to start is updated every 15 to 30 minutes.
In the first 24 hours of operation, the statistics showed:
- 5,735 total users in that period;
- The most viewed hospitals in order were Logan, Ipswich, Princess Alexandra, Royal Brisbane Women’s and Children’s;
- Busiest times for viewing were 8pm with 1206 users and 7pm with 836 users;
- 88% of users accessed the portal from a mobile phone.
“Queenslanders now have the critical information they need to make informed decisions about their healthcare options,” said Minister for Ambulance and Health Services, Tim Nicholls.
“Patients and our hardworking frontline doctors and nurses made it clear they want more insights into how our health system is performing and now it is happening.
“The Crisafulli Government has now delivered real-time data in less than 100 days, something the former Labor Government couldn’t achieve in 3,500 days.
“As I said yesterday when we launched this portal, there are no silver bullets to fix the multiple challenges our health system faces, but https://openhospitals.health.qld.gov.au/ is an important first step, providing accurate real-time information to Queenslanders.
“It’s why our Easier Access to Health Services Plan is focused on backing our frontline healthcare workers and ensuring patients can receive the care they need, when they need it.
“I want to make it clear, anyone who needs emergency attention should go to their nearest emergency department or call an ambulance on Triple-0 (000) for assistance. It’s vitally important that Queenslanders get the right care for their condition.”
Dr Danielle Allan, President of the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland, said the new portal will benefits for GPS as well when needing to refer patients from primary care into the hospital emergency department or minor illness and injury clinics.
“The 25 sites are a great first step and include regional sites and we look forward to seeing more sites included over time and eventually all Queensland Health Emergency Departments included in the data,” Dr Allan said.
Australian Medical Association Queensland President, Dr Nick Yim, congratulated the Government on the Open Hospitals website.
“This is a welcome first step in modernising our health system and something the AMA Queensland has urged the government to do for years,” Dr Yim said.
The Open Hospitals portal can be accessed at https://openhospitals.health.qld.gov.au/.