Satellite hospitals urgently need transparency around services

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, 4BC Radio Brisbane, Breakfast with Peter Fegan, Friday 5 January 2024

Subjects: Satellite hospitals

PETER FEGAN: They were touted as the next big thing to cut wait times in hospitals, a series of medical centres dubbed satellite hospitals at Kallangur, Caboolture, Tugun, Redlands and Ripley and the one to be opened in South Brisbane shortly. But there's an issue. People are being turned away, made to wait for hours for simple treatments, but more importantly, people are becoming confused. These things, mark my words, are not hospitals despite the name. They're a great initiative by the Government but calling them hospitals isn't right. Joining me on the line now is the Queensland president of the Australian Medical Association Queensland, Dr Maria Boulton. Doctor, thanks for your time this morning. 

DR MARIA BOULTON: Good morning and happy New Year. 

PETER FEGAN: Happy New Year to you, doc. Let's be very clear, these are a great initiative by the State Government and they're freeing up spaces in our EDs, but they're not hospitals?

DR MARIA BOULTON: Correct. They don't provide all the services that hospitals provide. We do welcome any investment into healthcare, but it's really important for the community to have full transparency as to what services they can access in what location. It seems that the community is confused. I don't really know what services are provided in each satellite hospital. As a GP it would be really useful, and I expect that other GPs would find it really useful, to really understand what services are provided in each of those satellite hospitals. 

PETER FEGAN: I want to play you some audio, doc, just so you can't be criticised for taking sides here and criticising the Government. Obviously, it's your role at times to be critical of the Government. Take a listen to this audio, doc. This is a senior Queensland figure that says this is political spin. Take a listen.   

[EXCERPT] I'm walking a tightrope between when is a hospital not a hospital. I lobbied for them not to be called satellite hospitals. The satellite hospital program is a political direction and intent. 

Would you be calling on the Government, doc, to change the name from satellite hospitals back to medical centres, what they're known as?

DR MARIA BOULTON: We've always called for transparency when it comes to these satellite hospitals as to what services they actually provide. But they're not -  I'm a GP and we work out of general practices and medical centres, and are they really medical centres? I don't know either. That's what patients need, they just need that transparency to understand what exact services they can expect when they turn up at the door. You just don't want patients turning up in the wrong place. If they need serious emergency services, they need to turn up to a proper hospital. 

PETER FEGAN: I don't know what the Government thinks they're gaining here, because what it seems to me on the outside, doc, is that they're calling them hospitals so politically they can spruik, as this is election year, they can spruik come October. They can say, David Crisafulli has done nothing, we've built hospitals, we've built hospitals in Kallangur, we've built them in Redcliffe, we've done all these things. Well, you haven't, you haven't built hospitals. They don't offer emergency surgery, overnight stays, no 24-hour nurse care and there's no emergency department. So, it's a bit rich calling them hospitals. For people out there listening this morning, doc, what would be your advice to them? I know there's been no transparency between the Government and yourself, AMA Queensland, in terms of what they offer, but what would be your advice to people listening to this right now that go, well, I've got a problem, do I go to hospital or do I go to a satellite hospital? I mean, it's confusing.

DR MARIA BOULTON: It is. It's really difficult because they all offer different services. I know that some do have dialysis chairs, for example, which are quite welcome in those communities. But what I would advise is for the Government to provide more transparency to the community. I would advise people to follow their gut. At the end of the day, if it's an emergency, go to an emergency department, and if it's not an emergency, get in to see your GP. The entire health system is under strain at the moment and we're keenly waiting on those 3,000 new proper hospital beds that the Government has announced. I think they will make a real difference, but it's really difficult when you have people confused. Don't forget that your GP can provide all sorts of services from wounds to lacerations to respiratory symptoms, for example, that's where your GP comes in.

Wouldn't it be great if the Federal Government jumped in and subsidised your Medicare rebate by more, because we know that they're falling behind and that's also part of the reason why people are sometimes reluctant to visit their GP. We know that GPs provide a vast amount of services, but look, it is confusing, and I honestly wish it was clearer for everyone.  

PETER FEGAN: Good call, good on you, Dr Maria Boulton. We'll chat to you no doubt into the future. You're a regular guest, and you always provide great insight. Thanks so much for your time this morning at short notice.

DR MARIA BOULTON: Thank you.

PETER FEGAN: That's Dr Maria Boulton talking about satellite hospitals. I have got some breaking news I'm going to get to in just a moment. Just on these satellite hospitals, Shannon Fentiman, who in my opinion should be leading the Labor Party, she should actually be the 40th Premier, that's who I would have put in there anyway. She's good at her job, she's smart, and I think she will be a Labor leader into the future. I think what Shannon Fentiman needs to do here is change the name of these satellite hospitals, because people are becoming confused, and it is confusing. We need to clear things up.