Emergency departments across the North West are seeing the majority of presentations within recommended waiting times.
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North West Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Lisa Davies Jones said this was despite an eight per cent increase in presentations to 4055 in March this year, compared with March 2018.
"Across all five emergency categories - with one being the most urgent and five being the least - the median waiting time was 11 minutes, and 85 per cent of all presentations at hospitals across the region were seen within the clinically recommended waiting times for their category,'' she said.
All but one of 13 Category 1 presentations to hospitals across the region also were seen within the two minutes recommended waiting time, with the 13th - who presented at Normanton Hospital - being seen very shortly after the recommended waiting time.
At Mount Isa Hospital, all Category 1 presentations were seen within the recommended waiting time of two minutes.
Across all five emergency categories at Mount Isa Hospital, 78 per cent were seen within the recommended waiting time, despite a 13 per cent increase in presentations compared with March 2018.
Ms Davies Jones said the health service had a program in place to increase access to primary health care throughout the region as a means of reducing pressure on hospital emergency departments.
"The North West HHS has partnered with Western Queensland Primary Health Network and Gidgee Aboriginal Medical Service to implement the Lower Gulf Strategy which aims to increase access to primary health care through Gidgee Healing,'' she said.
"This has already led to significant reductions in emergency department attendances for primary care type activity at some hospitals.''
Ms Davies Jones said both Doomadgee and Normanton hospitals had seen a reduction in Category 4 and 5 attendances, thanks to the Lower Gulf Strategy.
"In March 2019, compared with March 2018, Doomadgee Hospital saw a five per cent reduction in Category 4 presentations and 19 per cent in Category 5,'' she said.
"Normanton Hospital had a four per cent decline in Category 4 presentations and a reduction of 63 per cent in Category 5s. Mornington Island Hospital recorded an overall increase in all presentations primarily due to an outbreak of flu in the community.
Mr Davies Jones said a total of 64 elective surgery patients also had been treated in March 2019, an increase of 12.3 per cent on March 2018.
All elective surgery patients treated in March received their treatment within the recommended waiting time for their categories.
No patients who were ready for surgery were waiting longer than clinically recommended for their surgery as at 31 March.
