Victorian hospitals performance spiralling down
13 May 2008
 
AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis says the Your Hospitals report reveals that our hospitals are failing to provide clinically appropriate care to a growing number of Victorians.
                         
“Victorian hospitals’ performance is spiralling down,” says Dr Travis. “The State Government has scored itself three out of nine in today’s Your Hospitals report; It has only met three of its nine public hospital targets,” says Dr Travis.
 
“Current government standards say it is perfectly reasonable for one in five people not to be seen within a clinically appropriate time,” he said. “More than 200,000 Victorians are not being seen in the time recommended by nurses and doctors in just the six months covered by the report.”
 
“For example, the report shows 12,433 patients with symptoms such as very severe pain, severe breathing difficulties, or major fractures were not seen within clinically appropriate times — an increase of 48 per cent on the previous year.”
 
Dr Travis explained that the government operated a system where clinical care standards for waiting times were set by doctors. For example, all people entering an emergency department with no heartbeat are seen immediately, while people with less severe injuries may need to wait. “All of these people should be seen within the clinically appropriate time and that should be the government’s benchmark.” 
 
“The Victorian Government’s benchmarks are a sleight of hand that is not acceptable to AMA Victoria, and it should not be accepted by the Victorian community,” Dr Travis said.
 
“That hospitals are failing to meet those benchmarks demonstrates that hospitals are struggling with capacity problems and not enough beds, not enough nurses and not enough doctors.”
 
The report also shows that productivity is slowing in Victorian hospitals. “If you don’t have enough beds, or places to put patients, then nurses and doctors are spending their time trying to work out where to put a patient rather than treating them,” Dr Travis said.
 
“Victorian hospitals are still the most efficient in the country, but our productivity gains are slowing. Innovation and good patient care is being strangled by the inefficiencies caused by a lack of capacity.”
 
Dr Travis said that the Minister has had a report with many of the answers on his desk for six months. The Ministerial Review of Victorian Public Health Medical Staff was handed to the Minister in November, and contains 71 recommendations for improving the hospital system. “So far the Minister has responded to just seven recommendations. It’s time for the Minister to dust off the report.”
 
“Victorians know that their hospital system is struggling. The Your Hospitals report shows that this struggle is affecting more and more Victorians every day. It’s time to take action to improve our hospitals.”
AMA Victoria has analysed the latest Your Hospitals report released today, and notes that:
 
  • 200,000 Victorians did not receive clinically appropriate care in July to December 2007.
  • Less elective surgery was done in Victorian hospitals between July and December 2007 than in the same period for 2006.  
    • The report shows 2,084 fewer elective surgery operations were performed between July and December 2007 compared with same period in 2006.
  • Total waiting lists have increased by more than 2,000 people from 31 December 2006 to 31 December 2007.
  • 26 per cent of category two emergency patients were not seen within ten minutes — this represents 12,433 patients with symptoms such as very severe pain, stroke, appendicitis, severe breathing difficulties, or major fractures. This has fallen below even the Government’s benchmark.  
  • 34 per cent of category three emergency patients were not seen within 30 minutes — 54,587 Victorians suffering symptoms such as moderately severe blood loss, broken wrists, persistent vomiting, and dehydration.
  • Ambulance bypass has doubled since the last reporting period.    
  • 35 per cent of emergency department patients did not get hospital bed within eight hours — over 45,000 Victorians in just six months.
  • 26 per cent of non-admitted patients were not discharged within four hours — representing more than 87,000 Victorians in just six months.
  • More than one in four Victorians needing semi-urgent elective surgery were not operated on within 90 days — in addition to the unspecified time these patients were waiting to be seen in outpatients, prior to being put on the waiting list for surgery.