A Fresh Start for Queensland: Health data releases mark new era of transparency
- Crisafulli Government committed to data transparency in health and returning accountability in healthcare.
- Hospital performance data now released monthly, overturning Labor's secretive quarterly statistics.
- Ambulance ramping for January 2025 was 40.5 per cent, 4.6 percentage points lower than January 2024.
- First Nations health data released for the first time, providing practical information to drive improvements for Closing the Gap.
The Crisafulli Government continues to wind back Labor's era of data secrecy, with the return of monthly hospital performance reporting and release of monthly First Nations health data for the first time.
Hospital data transparency is a key commitment of the Crisafulli Government, after Queenslanders were kept in the dark by former health ministers Yvette D'Ath and Shannon Fentiman, who cut monthly data releases in favour of releasing data quarterly to disguise poor performance.
Monthly data transparency follows the launch of real-time hospital data in February, which more than 45,000 Queenslanders have now accessed.
Improving transparency across the health system is an important step in diagnosing Labor's Health Crisis, to allow health resources to be targeted to treat and cure the systemic issues left by the former Labor Government.
Some of the key figures from the monthly data include:
- Ambulance Ramping - 40.5% in January, a 4.6% drop from January 2024 (45.1%).
- Elective Surgery Waitlist - 66,491, a decrease from 66,632 in December quarter and the first time it has decreased since April 2024.
- First Nations emergency presentations - 25,461 in January, a 5.1% increase from January 2024.
The data reveals the Crisafulli Government is making early steps to delivering on key commitments, including to reduce ambulance ramping to 30% by 2028 and to stabilise wait lists within 12 months.
The Crisafulli Government's $100 million Surgery Connect Surge initiative is already delivering 10,000 additional elective surgeries by the end of June, using private sector capacity to deliver planned elective surgery within private hospitals.
As of March 14, 1,614 patients have been referred and 206 patients have had procedures, despite impacts from Cyclone Alfred.
Queensland Health's inaugural First Nations Health Data webpage has also gone live on the Our Performance website today with historic data up to January 2025.
Despite growing emergency presentations and acuity, a greater number of First Nations patients were seen within clinically recommended timeframes than 12 months prior.
Minister Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government was delivering on its promise of transparency and accountability in the health system, to help heal Labor's Health Crisis.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering monthly open data to all Queenslanders, to drive accountability and change across the health system, not hiding it from the public like Labor," Minister Nicholls said.
"This is more data, more often, which helps direct additional resources to where they're needed, when they're needed.
"The latest performance data clearly shows more Queenslanders requiring care are being seen sooner and fewer ambulances are ramped.
"Releasing First Nations Health Data also allows us to deliver better health outcomes for Indigenous Queenslanders, no matter where they live.
"The data also shows there is more to do as we continue to diagnose, treat and cure Labor's Health Crisis and deliver easier access to health services."
