Transcript - ABC Radio - Radiology backlog

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, ABC Brisbane, Breakfast with Craig Zonca and Loretta Ryan, Thursday 27 July 2023

Subjects: Radiology backlog at Gold Coast University Hospital, free flu jabs

CRAIG ZONCA:   We're told today that more than 50,000 radiology scans are on a backlog at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Tens of thousands. That's astonishing, isn't it?

LORETTA RYAN:   Yeah, and really concerning for patients as well. What's going on? Maria Boulton is President of the Australian Medical Association Queensland. Good morning, Maria.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Good morning, Loretta, good morning. Craig.

LORETTA RYAN:   Firstly, what are those sorts of scans used to diagnose? What's happening here?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Imaging is done on patients when you need an answer to something. So basically you go looking for something underneath the skin that you may be concerned about. I'm a doctor and whenever we order imaging, it's because it's needed and we need that report and that imaging to be done as fast as possible, because otherwise we just don't know what the answer is. And we may be putting our patients clinically at risk without that answer.

CRAIG ZONCA:  So how do you get a backlog of 50,000 scans?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   It's happened before. There was an investigation done into a similar issue at the Gold Coast in 2016, and something similar may need to be done to look at why they're back in this position. We've spoken to a few colleagues who work in the area and there's been a lot of issues. The main one is, of course, funding. For example, they've got this hybrid operating theatre that was built in 2021 that they haven't been able to use as much as they'd like to, due to funding. The other one is staff shortages, not enough staff. When you look at a busy radiology department in a busy hospital, that will include nurses, radiographers, radiologists.

The people I've spoken with, they feel quite disenfranchised. They feel very upset for their patients that they can't provide the care that they want to provide. Sometimes they're even sending their patients out to get the imaging done privately so they can get those reports and that imaging done quickly.

There's no doubt that people working in the hospital are doing the best they can. But if you're under-resourced, underfunded and understaffed, it's very hard to keep up when you're working in a busy environment.

CRAIG ZONCA:   Does this thing mean that things are being missed or misdiagnosed?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   It's hard to know without looking at what's in those images. As I said, I've only heard reports. Obviously they'll need to get to the bottom of it and perform an investigation. It's hard to say.

LORETTA RYAN:   And the thing is, you know yourself when you go to the doctor and you get a scan for something and you think, oh, they haven't called me, it must be okay. But in this case they mightn't have even looked at it yet. So is there any way of rushing a scan through? Do doctors have that power to say this needs to be done now?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Doctors will try and do their best at doing that. And certainly if something needs to be done urgently, we'll request it be done urgently. But without being in that department, it's difficult to know what's happening. That's something that they'll have to look at. I'm not aware of the sort of imaging that's on backlog either. So I think we just need further details.

CRAIG ZONCA:   I understand that the backlog, it could take two to three months to clear an issue at Gold Coast University Hospital as it's been identified. But is this a problem elsewhere around the state, Maria?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Back when they looked at this issue in 2016 at the Gold Coast, they also looked at other HHSs (Hospital and Health Services) - and we have 17 in Queensland - and it wasn't a widespread problem. It's not something I've heard happening in other HHSs. It's just literally what was reported this morning.

CRAIG ZONCA:   And Maria Boulton, so two to three months to clear 50,000 radiology scans for patients.

Another quick question I have for you this morning is in relation to the flu vaccine being made free for everybody a week or so ago. Has it made a difference to the number of people, say, coming through your clinic? And what are your other members reporting as far as that's concerned?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   We had some statistics from Queensland Health at our regular meeting on Tuesday. On the first day of the initiative, which was Saturday, they had seen a doubling of people presenting for a flu vaccine. So it has made a difference and the program is working very well. There's been great collaboration between Queensland Health, general practice and pharmacies and it's working really smoothly.

I do encourage people. It's not too late if you haven't had a flu vaccine. We're still seeing cases rise. So it's really important that you think about it, particularly in those younger age groups and people who are vulnerable, pregnant women, people who are over the age of 65, people with any chronic diseases.

Why it's so important to have younger people vaccinated is that half of the people in hospital currently are under the age of 20. So it's certainly affecting the younger population.

But we will need to do something different next year. It's important the federal government or the state government consider making the free flu vaccine program permanent every year so that we can encourage as many people to have a flu vaccine come winter.

CRAIG ZONCA:   Yeah. And earlier in the year, not now when it seems to be those case numbers are peaking. Maria, always good to catch up. Dr Maria Boulton, the President of the Australian Medical Association here in Queensland.