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Post by spaceyone on Dec 18, 2011 10:17:14 GMT 7
Twelve Queenslanders died while on hospital waiting lists or because their treatment had been delayed, an independent report has found. The Health Quality and Complaints Commission analysed 337 complaints about access to healthcare received between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2011. Its report, called Why Are We Waiting?, found that one person died and seven people sustained permanent harm while on a waiting list. Eleven patients died and 17 sustained permanent harm because of delays due to poor coordination of management within hospitals, such as incorrect referral, inappropriate triage or inadequate triage. The report also found that 52 per cent of access complaints were about public hospitals, followed by general practice (22 per cent) and private hospitals (six per cent). Most of the complaints related to health care providers in Brisbane, accounting for 43 per cent, followed by the Gold Coast (12 per cent) and the Sunshine Coast (seven per cent). The commission's chief executive, Cheryl Herbert, said on Friday the report highlighted opportunities for improvement, including better training for clinical handovers and triage practices. "Failure to provide timely access to health services is one of the most significant barriers to quality healthcare, and can increase the risk of adverse outcomes for healthcare consumers, including significant deterioration of health, increased permanent harm or death," she said in a statement. Premier Anna Bligh said Queensland hospitals were improving at a rate that was unprecedented in Australia. "We now have the lowest elective survey waiting times, and emergency waiting times have improved at a faster rate than any other state," she said in a statement. news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8391049/queenslanders-die-waiting-for-care-reportIf Qld has the shortest elective surgery waiting times, I would hate to imagine what the death rates in the other states are!
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Post by Banjo on Dec 18, 2011 12:16:23 GMT 7
Bottom line is...
As long as political parties campaign on platforms of lower taxation and government spending cuts and people keep voting for them, then health, education, police services etc etc is going to go further down the toilet.
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Post by spaceyone on Dec 18, 2011 13:37:07 GMT 7
I wonder if Centrelink considers waiting in line for elective surgery as 'failing to seek appropriate treatment'.
I do know that they discount an injury if it can be fixed with surgery, but then fail to take into consideration how long one is laid up for while waiting for same.
I also have to stress once again, that it is no longer wise to rely on the reports supplied by radiology companies to back up your claims of illness to C/L.
I am not sure if we are flagged because we don't have private health cover or because we are on welfare. But we received a CT scan report the other day which states there is no bone tumor in my son's arm. This contradicts their own images, and makes us wonder why the two shots which would have shown it the clearest, have actually been obliterated on the film by a measuring tool they can impose onto the image.
It also contradicts the three X-Rays we have had taken this year. One by a radiology company at the beginning of the year, and the two most recent ones, which were taken at the hospital, and which do show the tumor. The hospital radiologist and ER doctor both agree that the tumor has grown in the X-Ray taken last weekend from the size it was in the one taken in September. The ER doctor told us to go and get more imaging done of the area, firstly with a CT scan.
Our new GP, who was very concerned for my son a few days prior, then laughed at us after reading the report and stated that there is no tumor in there. I showed the report to a nurse friend last night, and he had the same reaction - concern turned to disbelief. Until I pulled out the films and allowed him to look at them.
Planning to make an appointment this week, to point out the tumor to the GP. Also going to ask him to log into the radiology website and look at the pictures online, which we are not able to do, and see if the measuring tool is still blocking the good views of it.
Since it is him that C/L will contact about my son's JCA, I need him to have seen the truth before his eyes, rather than to just rely on yet another dodgy report from these radiology companies.
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Post by Banker on Dec 18, 2011 15:06:32 GMT 7
Sad state the health system in Queensland now. Thirty years ago it had the best health system in Australia.
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Post by spaceyone on Dec 19, 2011 11:41:45 GMT 7
I have been on the phone this morning to the radiology company who gave us the above mentioned dodgey report last week. Before phoning them I had realised that the covered images were not numbered, but marked as a reference, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt on that issue.
I explained to their receptionist that I wanted the scans looked at again, by another Dr and a new report issued. They explained that only a GP can make that request, if the GP is not happy with the report.
I explained that he was neither happy or unhappy about it, but that he had mistakenly told us that my son had no new bone tumor and laughed at us. I explained that since I was aware that the tumor has previously been picked up in X-Rays by the hospital twice recently, and that I had no copies of those or any reports generated by that, that I would now have to have his arm X-Ray'd again just to disprove their CT scan report to the GP.
Then I got sarcasm. They asked what training I had in being able to read an scan. I replied that I had none, but that I am the parent of a boy who had a tumor which extended from his arm bone up into his chest before he was finally put on the emergency surgery list last year. I explained that the ER doctor was now trying to ascertain how big the new growth is, so that he can make a decision about surgery before it gets to the same dangerous situation that it did time. I also explained that I could see the tumor in their images, and could give them a list of the image reference numbers in which it is visible.
They then invited me to bring them back to have them 'looked at again'. I have an appointment with the GP tomorrow, and once I have shown him how wrong the report is, I will instruct him to instruct them to redo their report.
The main issue for us, with regard to C/L, is that since we have no reports from the hospital X-rays, the CT scan is the only report we can submit to the JCA to prove that my son is once again in need of surgery and then subsequent healing before he can return to work. With the CT scan stating that the tumor is not there, our case for an exemption from looking for work, and for a disability allowance, is blown out of the water.
This coming year, myself and family will no longer be bullied by health professionals who want to earn lots of money, without doing their jobs properly. We will also not allow C/L to get the better of us again either.
I hate to be a demanding bitch. But geez, if you don't stamp your foot and jump up and down at people in the health and welfare services of this country, you get nothing done. Not healthy for someone like me, who's illness makes it hard to cope emotionally or physically with stress.
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Post by latindancer on Dec 19, 2011 14:20:38 GMT 7
It does seem like you're getting the short end of the stick, Spacey. My advice to you is the same as that i gave about Centrelink : If you don't like what your GP says, don't argue.....just go to another. There are (luckily, still) more good people than bad. We Westerners tend to oppose each other, and if there is one thing I've learned in Thailand it's to go with the flow. However you can influence the flow whilst going with it. A gentle push here, a prod there...
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Post by spaceyone on Dec 21, 2011 19:50:09 GMT 7
I didn't get to follow through with my plan to demand a new CT scan report - as yet. I developed a migraine yesterday and had to cancel the appointment we had at the GP.
I had to go up that way today though, and so took the scans to the radiologists who had agreed to look at them again. However, they now refuse to do so, until they have an official request from the GP.
I was annoyed, but I wonder if they have looked at them, seen that I am right, and don't want it on the record that the request for a re-think of the report came from the patient.
They did acknowledge that their supervisor had been appraised of my request and was standing by waiting for the request to come in from the GP.
How he reacts to my request will determine if we stay with him or not. I had changed to that GP recently, but then took a few months off from trying to receive any real treatment or final diagnosis and just enjoyed my time in the bush, and monitored my symptoms in a less stressful situation.
The last GP we had was worse, and C/L seem to frown upon changing doctors too often. Fair enough if someone is shopping for a GP who will sign the necessary documents without them having a real illness, but we are not doing that. We are trying to find a GP who offers an opinion, diagnosis and treatment, instead of one who just refers you off to expensive Specialists.
The JCA for my son is tomorrow. We will just have to see how we go without much documentation, and then appeal as we acquire more.
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Post by spaceyone on Dec 23, 2011 11:36:33 GMT 7
The JCA for my son went smoothly. They were happy to give him another year long exemption from having to work and still be paid Youth Allowance.
We were tempted with free goodies to sign up with a disability management service, and so had to reluctantly agree to that.
I stated that we would not be referred to On-Q HR (the only specialist disability service in our town), and so he will have a disability consultant at a normal employment service. The lady tried to hide her surprise at my demand, but I saw it.
Then I bought up the extra allowance. She said she thought that Centrelink would have just paid that, after a JCA interview granting a long exemption like she just had. Meaning we should have been receiving it for a year now. She told me to speak to C/L about it, but then walked me out to the counter to organise it.
She asked the girl on the front computer to process it for us. She whispered that she didn't know how to. She asked the JCA if she shouldn't be doing it. The JCA stated that it was not her job to implement it, but that she was recommending it as per her duties. They launched a script on the computer and the JCA lady answered the questions it generated on our behalf.
She then pointed out to me that it would commence from this date, the day of our interview with her. She said it twice in fact.
That frees him up from attending silly interviews enough for us to be able to focus on his medical issues. I am sure the process would have been much stricter if he was applying for DSP, or even had they been aware we were going to ask for more money.
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Post by zorro1 on Dec 23, 2011 12:49:43 GMT 7
Good to hear Spacey , a few things finally going your way
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Post by Banjo on Dec 23, 2011 14:58:54 GMT 7
A years back pay would be nice?
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Post by latindancer on Dec 23, 2011 15:31:40 GMT 7
Good to see a little Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas, Spacey !
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Post by spaceyone on Dec 30, 2011 21:47:16 GMT 7
Just for the record - no extra money for my son in his payment this week. C/L seem to think that if you are under 21 and too sick to work, you can actually exist on $125 a week. I guess you can if you have a parent that can work and support you. Haven't contacted them about it yet, wanted to enjoy the holiday period. Might as well go for the back pay now too, when I appeal.
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Post by spaceyone on Dec 30, 2011 21:48:56 GMT 7
Good to see a little Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas, Spacey ! Thanks Latin. Sorry, hadn't seen this post before. Wishing all the best for you and your new wife in 2012.
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Post by spaceyone on Jan 14, 2012 15:08:52 GMT 7
Update: Disability Supplement for my son granted, paid and backdated to his JCA in December. Without me hassling for it! Can afford to see the Specialist now! Just ran into the assessor in Coles as well. There are still some nice and honest people working within the system. Its a shame C/L won't do anything about the corrupt ones. Surely new staff is not that hard to find, when so many people are looking for work.
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Post by zorro1 on Jan 14, 2012 15:52:43 GMT 7
;D well done Spacey, some substantial back pay from memory there are some fine people at C/L , its a bit of a gamble
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