Infection rates from hospital care in the ACT have risen and the territory continues to perform poorly for the number of emergency department patients treated within recommended time frames, a report reveals.
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The Council of Australian Governments Reform Council released its final report on healthcare reform finding that although Australians are living longer and government are delivering positive results, issues such as obesity and type 2 diabetes will pose major challenges for the healthcare system unless they are addressed urgently.
A snapshot of the ACT's performance over a five-year period found the territory has the lowest death rates for cancer and circulatory diseases and the highest rate of community follow-up after discharge from psychiatric treatment.
The report also found a drop in potentially avoidable deaths, a decrease in median wait times for elective surgery as well as a decline in the number of adult smokers. The report also reveals resident and community aged care places had increased in the ACT since 2008-09.
Obesity rates in the ACT have increased since 2007-08, the report revealing a quarter of Canberrans were obese in 2011-12.
The ACT data also found just 51 per cent of emergency patients were treated within national benchmark times in 2012-13, down seven percentage points since 2007-08. Although the figure for Northern Territory was lower with 50 per cent in 2012-13, the NT recorded a nine percentage point increase since 2007-08. The report reveals the ACT was the only jurisdiction which did not increase presentations seen on time.
Figures from the ACT Government this week reveal Canberra's emergency departments have had a 25 per cent increase in presentations since 2008-09.
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said the report contained some good news.
"It's excellent to see the significant reduction around cancer and circulatory diseases – that reinforces the access to quality healthcare that people in the ACT have," she said.
Ms Gallagher said the report showed more operations were being done but median waiting times for elective surgery had improved.
The Chief Minister said there had been progress in improving emergency department patients seen within recommended time frames in the past year, with around 60 per cent of patients now seen within benchmarked times.
Ms Gallagher said it was also important to note the ACT was a small jurisdiction with only two public hospitals and the ACT was not being compared on a hospital-by-hospital basis but rather against larger jurisdictions with more hospitals.
"With infections, we've had a slight increase with infections. We do watch this incredibly closely and we collect our data to a much greater extent than other jurisdictions. I think the increase we've seen, my understanding is that it relates to one case so we've gone from six cases of staph to seven," she said.
"We're dealing with incredibly small numbers and it does move around. If you did have one extra case in the ACT, that does look like quite a big jump. This is something we watch very closely."
ACT Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson said the report showed the ACT lagged behind the rest of the country on waiting for emergency departments and elective surgery.
“It’s disheartening but not surprising that another report of this nature has been released given ACT Labor’s ongoing mismanagement of the health system," he said.
“Disturbingly, the rate of infections acquired from hospital treatment in the ACT has risen while nationally the numbers improved. The Northern Territory has more than halved its rate of infections while the ACT has increased to 1.3 per 10,000 patient days.
“These are not the figures reflective of a health system improving.”
Acting ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Andrew Pengilley said the report showed life expectancy in the ACT was higher than the national average and highlighted the ongoing risk of obesity. The ACT government launched its Towards Zero Healthy Weight Action Plan last year.
"Many of the factors that contribute to obesity lie beyond the traditional reach of the health sector, and the Action Plan outlines the whole of government approach to addressing this issue," he said.
ACT Medicare Local chair Dr Rashmi Sharma said it was alarming that 46,000 potentially avoidable GP-type presentations occurred in ACT EDs in 2012-13. She said ACTML was co-ordinating a number of practical services to keep people "well and out of hospital", such as enhanced after-hours services and running a campaign to increase community understanding of how after-hours care can be accessed.
