No improvements to LGH emergency wait times since toddler's death

Latest Tasmanian health data shows that 50.7 per cent of emergency department (ED) arrivals triaged as Category 2 patients were seen on time, or within ten minutes of arriving, as of March this year.

This is a 12 per cent increase since last year.

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said this alarming state of affairs was an indictment on Premier and health minister who had prioritised the AFL stadium over the health of Tasmanians.

Her comments followed a coroner's report finding of failures by the Launceston General Hospital that contributed to the death of an infant.

"A report by Coroner Simon Cooper released yesterday documented the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of a child who was failed by the Launceston General Hospital in June 2021. Triaged as a Category 2 patient, someone with an "imminently life threatening" condition, this child should have been seen within 10 minutes," Ms O'Connor said.

"Instead the wait was hours, and the consequences were unthinkably terrible. These distressing circumstances should never, ever occur again but the government's own most recent data confirms the situation in the LGH emergency department has significantly deteriorated since this tragedy."

She said the percentage of Category 2 patients seen on time at the LGH had plummeted since the infants death.

"Not only that, but ramping at the LGH is the worst it has ever been, and the waitlist for urgent surgery at the hospital has increased since this time last year. This alarming state of affairs is an indictment on a Premier and Health Minister who has prioritised a billion dollar stadium over the health of Tasmanians," she said.

Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson urged Northern Tasmanians to continue to have confidence in emergency departments following the Coroner's report into the infant's death.

"We encourage patients who might be aware of that news story to continue to have confidence in local treating doctors," Mr Ferguson said.'

"The good thing about governance in Tasmania is that adverse outcomes are rigorously assessed and scrutinised, in this case by the Coroner," he said.

"Lessons are learned and medical specialists, as well as nursing or allied health staff, or non medical staff, are then trained in how to avoid that again."

A Health Department spokesperson said it remained committed to improving wait times in the ED.

"Demand for services at our Emergency Departments and the associated pressures on our hospitals continues to increase, and we are taking a system-wide approach to address these challenges through the Statewide Access and Patient Flow Program," they said.

"There has also been significant investment in the Launceston General Hospital in recent years, including an increase in bed numbers.

"We are also continuing to work with the primary health sector to ease the demand on public hospitals, including through programs such as the GP After Hours Initiative, Hospital in the Home, Community Rapid Response Service and our Community Paramedics.

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