Queensland’s healthcare system has recorded its busiest December quarter on record, handling surging emergency department presentations, heatwaves, and rising ambulance demand while improving key performance metrics.
New figures show almost 582,000 people were treated in emergency departments between October and December, while ambulance callouts surged by 12,000, including 6,000 in December alone.
Despite the pressure, emergency departments treated all Category 1 patients within the recommended time of two minutes, with 74 per cent of all presentations seen on time—outperforming NSW and Victoria. Median wait times improved to 15 minutes.
Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) also improved its Category 1A response times while managing a spike in Triple Zero (000) calls from heatwaves, peaking at 3,849 in a single day—well above the daily average of 3,200.
New satellite hospitals are also easing pressure on emergency departments, with more than 20,000 people attending minor injury clinics at Ripley, Caboolture, Kallangur, Redlands, and Tugun. More than 90 per cent of patients were treated and discharged within four hours.
Queensland hospitals also recorded their busiest December quarter for elective surgeries, performing 36,673 procedures—1,674 more than the same period in 2022. Median wait times fell to 39 days, while the number of overdue surgery patients dropped by almost 40 per cent.
Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said the figures showed Queensland Health was improving wait times and treating more patients than ever.
“Despite burgeoning demand, Queensland’s hospitals continue to stand up and deliver world-class healthcare,” she said.
“The results demonstrate the importance of our satellite hospitals, which are proving invaluable in reducing pressure on our emergency departments.”
Queensland continues to rank among the nation’s best-performing health jurisdictions, according to the Commonwealth’s latest Report on Government Services.
