In 1991, for acute care hospitals Australia and QLD were above the average of the OECD countries for beds per 1,000 population (see attachment 5a), and in the middle range for bed-days per capita (see attachment 5b).
Australia was around average for admissions as a per cent of the total population, and Queensland had a slightly higher admission rate than Australia (see attachment 5c). For average length of stay, Australia and Queensland were below the OECD average for acute care hospitals (see attachment 5d).
Of the Australian States and Territories, Queensland had the second highest supply of acute hospital beds (private and public combined) (4.6 beds per 1,000 people), exceeding the national average (4.2 beds per 1,000 people) (see attachment 6).
Queensland also had the second highest separation rate for public and private hospitals combined (see attachment 6). It is, however, likely that the urban/rural mix of the States influences separation rates, and that Queensland's high proportion of rural residents at least partially accounts for the high separation rates observed. Reduced access to community services leads to greater use of hospitals in rural areas.
Queensland had lower than the national average length of stay for public and private hospitals combined (see attachment 6).
Overall, Queensland residents experienced remarkably similar elective surgery rates, irrespective of whether they lived in urban or rural areas of the State, indicating the combined public/private hospital system provides relatively equal access for most of the population.
There was also remarkably little variation by socio-economic group for many procedures. When the most advantaged were compared with the least advantaged, there were some marginally significant findings for some of the elective procedures. The most advantaged had higher ratios than the least advantaged for tonsillectomy (1.3 times higher), endoscopy of the large intestine (1.3 times higher), caesarian section (1.3 times higher) and inductions (1.2 times higher). In contrast the least advantaged had rates which were higher for endoscopy of the bladder (1.3 times higher), endoscopy of the bronchus (1.9 times higher) and cholecystectomy (1.2 times higher).
However, elective procedure rates for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in remote areas are substantially lower than that of the all Queensland population for most procedures.
Patient numbers can be expected to increase substantially over the next 10-15 years as a result of population growth and the general ageing of the population. Recent population projections show that Queensland is the most rapidly growing State. Between 1995 and 2011, Queensland's percentage growth is predicted to be between 31% and 37%, and by 2051 projections suggest Queensland's population will have doubled.
Last updated:
1 October, 2003
Review Date: January 2004
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