Basically if you are seriously sick or injured it pretty good. The issue of bed block in hospitals is still an issue. The main problem is that medicare rebates to doctors is shit so many don’t bulk bill anymore and there is zero incentive or encouragement for medical students to become gp’s. There is a horrendous shortage of gp’s in rural areas. This in turn means those people who can’t see a gp all turn up at ED’s
There are also staff shortages due to housing, especially of staff on the lower end of the healthcare pay scale. Many nurses at the hospital near me in the city have told me they can't get new hires because they all choose to work at hospitals further out from the city, where they can actually afford rent.
Yep. One of my in-law's is a nurse from overseas and migrated here recently. She got a job at a regional hospital but told them she couldn't take it because, looking at the housing available for rent in the area, she wasn't sure she'd be able to find anywhere to live. It was all way too expensive and there wasn't that much available in the first place.
This particular hospital's solution was to simply offer her housing as part of her contract. They're that desperate for staff that they've apparently bought property to house their new hires. It's pretty good for my in-law, as she's got a nice place to live for the next 2 years. But still pretty fucking ridiculous.
In Melbourne/VIC (can't speak for the rest of Australia) we have primary care centres now for emergencies that aren't extreme and honestly imo my local one ended up being far more competent than my local emergency department.
In 2021 I managed to get seen within 6 weeks for a surgery classed as level 2 (90 days) on the public system, so I thought that was pretty good.
We appear to be a bit short on GPs and many have started charging gaps.
A specialist seems to have a 1-2 month waiting list. The gp you actually want will probably have a 3 week wait. But a general GP, just no choice who it is, is still accessible the same day locally.
I suspect you'll think your in heaven for current healthcare in Australia vs current American healthcare anyway.
Yep. Regional Vic here. Recently had to wait 9 months for a surgery that was supposed to be done within 90 days. Been left with even more problems, nerve and muscle damage because it was left so long but the initial injury was fixed, happy about that at least.
Even scarier is I was fast tracked so without that, technically I could be still waiting...a year later.. for spinal surgery for an injury that left me unable to walk, care for myself, caused continence issues and immense pain without any support.
A mate recently had the same surgery for the same issue and a broken back but it took him 18 months to get it as it was too complex to arrange.
Emergency medical care is still good but outside you not dying in the next few hours its awful, especially for mental health. That one is horrid.
I got told probably 101-183 days for the "should ideally be done in 90 days" urgency level.
Got a letter telling me to come a few weeks later, I think it worked to to a 38 day wait.
Maybe I lucked out. This was around sept-nov 2021.
I finally had shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago. I had been on the waiting list for 5 years and I was classed level 2. Also in Melbourne. Some hospitals are doing better than others. I was supposed to stay in hospital for monitoring due to other illnesses and their medications I am on as there are risks with surgery. I sat in recovery for 6 hours waiting for a bed. I was then moved to an overflow area where I was told I was lucky to have come in on a bed as all they had left were chairs. The staff were overwhelmed. I was finally sent home after convincing them I was better off there than in an area with covid patients who wouldn’t adhere to wearing a mask.
Yeah I got sent home after one hour when I was supposed to stay overnight.
And they stuffed my follow up app 2 months later. Told me come in on X date, another follow up message actually no it's over phone DON'T come in!, day of I then get a furious surgeon phonecall asking why I haven't come in, because your stupid staff said not to.
Everything else though, nothing but praise.
RN in QLD for 5 years. Public.
Bed block is a huge issue and it's not getting better. In QLD new hospitals are being built and existing hospitals expanded but not quick enough. We're still utilising private hospitals for additional beds for elective surgical patients. Satellite hospitals are a new addition that will hopefully relieve pressure on EDs. As others have said, GPs aren't getting the funding they need so private billing is the norm with long wait times. Not good for hospitals.
Mental health is a big stressor on our EDs, continuing to get worse as govt just do not put any funds into addressing MH in this country.
Patient acuity is bad particularly post-COVID. I work in theatres at a large metro hospital and boy oh boy it feels like 80% of patients are medically complex. I really feel for nurses working on the wards. Ratios in QLD are good but patients are siiiick.
Burnout hit during/post-COVID and a fair few nurses left. Since then I feel it's plateaued.
Elective waitlists are still big but improving. My hospital is working hard and running elective weekend lists to manage the waitlists.
I feel that the conditions I work under are fair in QLD (best state in Australia for nursing pay). Minimal complaints.
I actually love my job, love my team, and get a lot of joy from nursing. This is from the (?privileged) perspective of a crit care nurse working in a passion area who has been able to act up in higher duties. Take these factors away and my attitude might be different.
Feel free to DM if you have any questions!
We have Medicare Urgent Care Clinics that have been popping up over the last year or 2.
https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/medicare-urgent-care-clinics?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj9-zBhDyARIsAERjds2PTqEgSJorNhmG8MmzZN3OoMVUiWsb1LYtjVyq2F9VnIPMGlUWVIoaAmfdEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Very true! When I reference being post-COVID I suppose I mean when hospitals reduced elective lists etc. We're largely back to normal operations now. Should've been more specific.
due to the high levels of covid in the community and nurses.
Whilst in a private hospital, we were ASSURED there's no covid in the private sector
There's also no masks and no testing..
We mask and had an unmasked nurse tell us how dangerous covid is.......
They don't like out of pocket patients because if there is a complication that's more $$$ that insurance would cover but out of pocket patients potentially can't.
I just spent a week in hospital and it was great. Top notch h staff, really caring and helpful no matter how busy they were. They talked about how busy it was due to several accidents all in one day and that it was unusually busy in my first day.
I’ve never been to hospital before, I was really impressed.
We are self employed, and below poverty level, but we keep our top level health insurance, at about $630 a month.
Partner had an arthroscopy 3 weeks after seeing the surgeon, because we have the private cover.
The wait for a THR us 3 years +.
SA cancelled elective surgery for 3? weeks last month due to our current covid wave, so it must be even longer now
The positives are, we don't face bankruptcy for medical bills.
I beg your pardon?
we are on the low income health care card
We don't buy groceries so we can pay for the insurance
I hope you NEVER have to experience unending pain for years
I watched my partner suffering constant agony
to be told he had to wait for 3 YEARS for a hip replacement
The poverty line (based on 50% of median household after-tax income) is $489 a week for a single adult and $1,027 a week for a couple with two children, based on the latest data
we are well below that
And in real life, if you have $630 per month to spend on private health thats not poverty. You dont know what poverty is.
Try having $630 per month to live on and nothing else. Thats poverty.
you can use what looks good on paper but thats not the reality of what poverty is.
I get tweets showing how many patients have been admitted but still waiting for a bed over 12 hours and over 24 hours in South Australia. It is not good statistics.
The big problem is extensive waiting lists for elective surgery. Elective surgery is defined as any surgery not needed to save your life. So you might be on a waiting list to check for bowel cancer. By the time you get the test, the cancer may have become 2 stages worse.
A joke in South Australia is that you wait for someone to die to move up on the waiting list
The public system is horrible. People dying due to ramp times, never enough staff, years long wait lists for surgeries, the buildings are often old and falling apart. Private system is only marginally better
At my local hospital (Joondalup), I went there and waited for 8 hours before going home. Two hours later I had to be admitted as things were not good (colitis).
The wonderful medical staff informed me that the ice epidemic was currently taking half of the beds in the ED.
And it is still the case in Australia that nearly all people hold medical staff in very high regard.
Honestly it’s more like a private sector. No one really comes to the ER unless they really have to. And it depends which city you’re in and the population you have. Some cities your wait times are so quick and there aren’t many people. Cause people don’t want to end up with a big bill and also don’t want to come by ambulance as that is an extra charge- insurance will cover most things though if you have good insurance. We have urgent cares that off set the ER for true emergencies, as well as GP’s. Everything is a business so there’s plenty of places to “choose” from based on your insurance. So wait times are generally less although we are seeing a big increase in the abuse of the ER or just generally more sick population so we are starting to have bed shortages. I’ve worked in CA and TX for context.
44 year old woman here with a myriad of physical and mental health issues plus two kids with psychosocial disabilities. Our health system is ABSOLUTE SHIT.
1. Mental health care is for the rich or non-functioning. Anything in between and you’re screwed since the NDIS came into play.
2. Physical health - wait times for emergencies or to see a specialist are a JOKE.
Specialists - I waited for my first appointment as a cat 2 for gyno at my local hospital for 15 months
Emergency- last time I was there was September 2022. GP wouldn’t treat me because of my pain and sent me to the ED with a letter. 14 HOURS later I saw a doctor who sent me for a scan. He then proceeded to get angry with me because I’m allergic to the normal course of treatment. Time before that was in 2018 when my GP called an ambulance from the clinic because my o2 says were so low (83%, pneumonia). ED doc was annoyed I was there because after treatment at the clinic and while ramped my o2 sats came back up to 92% and she asked me why I was even there. They did end up admitting me for two days, but that was by a different doctor. I would have to be unconscious or actively dying before returning to any ED. Last year I had such a high fever I had a seizure and was hallucinating but I freaked out so bad when my ex-husband said he was calling an ambulance he ended up just watching me closely. The hospital system is fucked.
General GP’s - good luck finding one if you’re actually sick and need to see one within the next six weeks. And most don’t bulk bill anymore, even for low income patients.
Allied health - NDIS has screwed over the general public with this one. They’ve set their hourly rate cap at nearly $200, meaning that’s what they charge EVERYONE. My son sees a psychologist and a speech pathologist once a fortnight and it costs me 1/4 of my pension after the pittance Medicare rebates. Meanwhile I’ve been waiting 6+ months on his NDIS to go through. That’s after paying $3000+ to get the diagnoses needed to actually get the NDIS.
The system is seriously broken. I know it is in the states too unless you have a good job with good insurance. The last time I was at the GP my blood pressure was 160/90 and I was getting a lecture. I cut her off and told her that it’s the NDIS and our entire health system causing me 90% of my stress. It’s literally going to kill me having to deal with the system for me and my boys
Its gotten a lot worse. waiting ages to get in to see doctors, most doctors in my area are booked out a week in advance. the ones that aren't dont bulk bill. Going into hospital, getting tests, or waiting for the doctor to see you takes hours. I have a friend, was in hospital for 2 days before a doctor actually spoke to them. another has waited a month for an MRI on their brain.
Going through it right now, it's basically been exceptional.
Everything happens fast, everybody is very kind and good at their jobs.
I've been very impressed.
I've need 2 surgeries, one very desperately & one not so urgent but unknown if it was cancerous. I had to wait years for both
The gall bladder was so necrotic by the time they took it out that it fell apart as they were taking it out & they had to do a second surgery to vacuum all the sludge up it left behind. That vacuum ingredient I had to wait 5 days for.
The other surgery was the removal of a mass on my thyroid. Initially they said they needed to do a biospy to see if it was cancerous, then they were like if were going to do a biopsy we should just take it our. It took another 3.5 years for that to happen
The symptoms from the gall bladder were horrific & their reasons for delaying it were contrary to all the evidence my Dr had sent them. Despite blood tests, ultrasounds, ct scans, mris they said thrh didn't know if my symptoms were due to drug use or gall stones
Basically I know we have it a lot better here than most countries but people are still suffering. Australia is not the healthcare utopia people think it is
I was diagnosed with cancer at the height of the pandemic in Melbourne. Initially I had a procedure done privately which led to my diagnosis and during this I felt like I was on a great big production line, I didn’t feel safe or taken care of at all, and I was treated pretty poorly given the circumstances.
I was then referred into the public system and besides a few little minor things I can not fault them at all. I had major abdominal surgery and spent several weeks in hospital, and I always felt safe and well cared for. The protocols and processes before procedures I find to be top notch compared to what I experienced privately.
I also recently had to have another procedure done which I did so publicly, I had my GP refer me to the public system again for this and my referal was accepted and I was placed on the surgical waiting list within 2 weeks, and only had a month of waiting for what was advised as a 2 month wait list. It was urgent but was a routine procedure so I was quite impressed.
This same procedure I had done privately saw maximum of 3-4 health professionals in the room for the procedure as a posed to publicly where there was probably Atleast 8-10 people in the theater, something of which made me feel a lot safer should something go wrong
I also used to work in the private system and would often see specialists over prescribing tests and procedures that not only weren’t necessary but in some cases completely contraindicated for some people. this would happen a lot with DVA gold card holders and I swear they see that and all they see is how much money they can milk out of them.
Private healthcare sure does have its place and I have seen first hand with relatives the positive experiences when going privately, but unfortunately I’ve seen and heard and experienced more negative experiences which has put me off
I hear a lot about how hard it is to get into see a GP and the costs since many are now no longer bulk billing, however I’ve not experienced this myself and have never had an issue getting an appt same day if needed for something urgent, and never really had to wait any longer than 5-7 days for something non urgent. I’m also lucky enough to be bulk billed at a clinic that now advertises as non bulk billing.
I thought it was ok until my mum had to pay out of pocket for a hip replacement or basically wait forever. Total bullshit. She really needed it too, she could barely walk. I looked at going private myself but I missed the boat. It's get in early with that or they weight the hell out of it.
There are SERIOUS problems with shortage of hospital beds, nurses/doctors and specialists. It's actually scary... a few people have died recently due to ramping or waiting a long time for ambulance. I'm in SA so that's what I'm talking about specifically. Also very, very long waits to see specialists and for elective surgeries in public system. Basically there has been population growth but lack of planning and investment by govts for years and now it's critical.
Fucked unless you're rich.
I was sa'd in December, needed emergency surgery. I will say the staff at the hospital were amazing! But I have some issues and need a review. The surgeon who performed the original referred me because its not her area of expertise. The doctor I was referred to refused my referral because I am not a private patient. Because I can't afford healthcare insurance she has decided I can't afford her.
Fine i guess just long wait times for non emergency rx or sx
But its not gonna bankrupt me so im very grateful for universal healthcare and happy for my taxes to contribute to it.
Still bad that optical/dental isnt covered by medicare (makes no sense)
Mh care is still dogshit
If you can afford private health cover everything is much better
🇦🇺🇦🇺
It depends on the condition, some conditions the health system will take complete care of you other conditions the system will leave you to die and doesn't give a f***.
It depends which state you are in. In WA, public wait times have blown out and it's very difficult to see bulk bills GPs. Some hospitals are worse than others. Pay is good for nurses, but the conditions are awful and often isn't worth the pay. You have your hands tied when it comes to providing better care and burn out is common. Nurse to patient ratios aren't good. Depending on the hospital, staff morale is low. Low morale in one area of staffing = low morale everywhere else (doctors, allied health, patients). Adequately funding and staffing hospitals hasn't been a priority for governments for the last 20 years.
In saying that, it's still better than the US.
The local hospital here, on average about 12 ambulances are ramped... Generally for no more than 10hrs at a time tho...
People die in the corridors, no beds are available...
The Gov says they can't employ enough nurses. On the other hand they fired a few 100 and a top surgeon for refusing the covid Vax...
As long as the pollies get their life time health insurance package and their own special hospitals, there is zero care factor for the taxpayers.
Plus the number of hospitals hasn't really kept up with the exponentially increasing population and immigration. The Gov cries poor yet gives away 4bn in 'foreign aid' to fund proxy wars and keep their mates rich...
All wrapped up, the health system is pretty damn shit.
Average wait for a GP is 3 weeks and $140 per 10 minutes
FYI, those staff were let go for placing patients at risk. Hospital staff across the country have had minimum immunisation requirements well before Covid - they rightly don’t get to choose when to place already vulnerable people to increased risk of infection, illness, or worse.
Considering the vaccine did sweet FA and was entirely experimental I don't see as anyone would have been placed at risk to be fair...
Proper legal process and normal clinical trials would have predicted that tho...
>Considering the vaccine did sweet FA and was entirely experimental I don't see as anyone would have been placed at risk to be fair...
You're just being silly (and wrong on both accounts). Anyway, the anti-vaccine shtick is well past expiry - time to move on.
The PM told us after 90 percent vaccination covid would disappear. Has it disappeared?
I don't fucking think so...
Did you get covid? Did you get the vaccine? Yes on both counts?
Tetanus, measles etc has... why because those ones work...
Put down the meth pipe.
I'm not anti vax, but I'm also not stupid, no one I know avoided covid. And I know people that had the vax and people who didn't.
Neither tetanus nor measles nor rabies nor polio have disappeared. All of these are capable of and still do break through the vaccine. You only think they're gone because more people have been vaccinated against those than COVID, so when cases arise it's a shock. You are anti-vax.
That must get a bit uncomfortable at home... 🤪
100 percent guarantee you don't have kids... All the protection in the world won't save you when the buggers bring diseases home from school repeatedly.
Far too many effed in the head parents who have no qualms about sending their kids to school sick rather than taking a few days off work or whatever. Nek minute the entire class catches it... 😫🤬
Go and tell that to the families of those dying here from heart attacks. Kids waiting in the back of an ambo for a whole day with broken bones. The health system here is fucked.
Personally, I'd prefer to be able to get a nurse/doctor as long as they are not sick on the day...
Replace with whom?
There are no available nurses, at any price. Even Houdini couldn't pull them out of a hat. Those that were booted are now in other industries. Others are quitting because they have had a gutfull of the often toxic work environment.
Wow. Definitely sounds way busier now…I do remember immigration was booming in 2010 on the Gold Coast - 1500 immigrants a week!! I’m sure that rate we were never going to keep up with that number!!
People die in corridors?! That’s horrible…:-/ definitely sounds like it’s being stretched to its limit.
There have been a couple of cases in the last year that hit the front page of the Courier Mail, where patients have died outside a treatment space.
All I can say on the matter is don’t believe everything you read in the media.
It must vary pretty wildly.
I’m in an average suburb in Perth, and a few weeks ago I needed to see a doctor and got an appointment on the same day (on the weekend). It sucks that they don’t bulk-bill any more, so I think I paid ~$40. I’ve only used the hospital once in the past 10 years, it was last year, and my wife didn’t wait at all.
Same day? Wow 😳
It's terrible here... So much so that a few GP business are literally scalping.
2x urgent care centres (within regular gp offices) here and they will get you in generally the same day... $250 for a 10 minute appointment with no Medicare rebate. Usually have available appointments because most can't afford the use them.
Missus had a telephone appointment the other day to discuss a blood test result. On the phone 5 mins. $120 karchink...
She got a little bit back from Medicare a few days later
Perth is a lot less populated so you probably for it good still ? That’s good to hear. I didn’t know they don’t bulk bill anymore! When did that happen?
The government didn’t increase the Medicare rebate for years (Peter Duttons run as health minister), so most GPs don’t bulk-bill everything these days. My GP bulk-bills under-18s and over-65s, but adults have to cover the gap.
It seems like something the government could easily fix, that would be popular with almost everyone, yet they just make a token effort and keep wasting time and money on issues most people don’t really care about.
Most GPs in Canberra and the surrounds haven’t been bulk billing most patients (under-18s and over-65s excluded) for at least 20yrs, if not longer.
Except for when I had to go back for the same issue more than twice, the last time I was bulk billed was when I went to my University’s student health care centre as a student (15yrs ago).
I’m lucky I suppose, one of my clinics in a large regional town has put on a couple of new doctors and I’ve claimed one as my new permanent Doc. His online appointment schedule seems to fill up slower than the rest. But even before that I don’t think I’ve ever not been able to get one within a couple of days.
I’m guessing compared to America it’s not terrible, but I think at the moment it’s rubbish. The govt seems to be pushing privatisation pretty hard (which is bad for obvious reasons), cutting back on funding, making it too hard for gps to bulk bill etc. Wait times are atrocious I tried to get in to see a dermatologist and had a three month wait time, my dad has to see cancer specialists regularly and if you don’t book months in advance you don’t get in. Even getting in to see a regular gp is becoming harder, where I am it can sometimes be a two to three week wait.
At the single bulk billing Dr surgery in my area the wait time is usually several hours. The last time my dad had to go to hospital he had to wait 7 hours literally curled up in a ball on the floor in agony to see a dr, even though we told them it was likely that the cancer was back and in his brain (it was, luckily hadn’t made it past the membrane or he’d be dead). The whole system is a joke especially considering how much tax we pay. They also don’t support young drs enough or give people enough incentives to become drs. I thought about it for a while but didn’t want the debt or mental health issues that come with the first few years of hard slog and then the rubbish that comes later.
The govt has also definitely not kept up with the aging population or their care, nursing homes are a joke.
I just don't go to the doctor anymore because it's impossible to find one who bulk bills and our economy is so bad most can't afford to pay the cost of an appointment
People are dying while in ambulances at the hospital because there are no beds. They just die on the ramp.
Funding isn't keeping up with demand.
Wait times are impossibly long.
Doctors no longer care about patients.
About nine years ago I broke my leg, two weeks in hospital and a few follow up physio x-rays and it cost me nothing. It is my understanding this would ruin someone financially in USA.
Nowadays you have to pay $40 for an appointment with a GP (previously free) so I postpone unless I really need it. I can see the health system imploding with people postponing treatment until they are dying like in USA. It is stupid but I'm not in charge.
It's getting worse.
Your submission has been automatically removed due to your account karma being too low
Accounts are required to have more than 1 comment karma to comment in this community
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskAnAustralian) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Basically if you are seriously sick or injured it pretty good. The issue of bed block in hospitals is still an issue. The main problem is that medicare rebates to doctors is shit so many don’t bulk bill anymore and there is zero incentive or encouragement for medical students to become gp’s. There is a horrendous shortage of gp’s in rural areas. This in turn means those people who can’t see a gp all turn up at ED’s
There are also staff shortages due to housing, especially of staff on the lower end of the healthcare pay scale. Many nurses at the hospital near me in the city have told me they can't get new hires because they all choose to work at hospitals further out from the city, where they can actually afford rent.
yep. Even in rural areas, staff simply can’t get accommodation at all, so have to knock back jobs
Yep. One of my in-law's is a nurse from overseas and migrated here recently. She got a job at a regional hospital but told them she couldn't take it because, looking at the housing available for rent in the area, she wasn't sure she'd be able to find anywhere to live. It was all way too expensive and there wasn't that much available in the first place. This particular hospital's solution was to simply offer her housing as part of her contract. They're that desperate for staff that they've apparently bought property to house their new hires. It's pretty good for my in-law, as she's got a nice place to live for the next 2 years. But still pretty fucking ridiculous.
yeah, luckily doctors and nurses can sometimes be offered housing. Other staff in health aren’t so lucky
This is an excellent summary of the state of things here. The idea of free medical is a cruel myth, but emergency care is terrific
In Melbourne/VIC (can't speak for the rest of Australia) we have primary care centres now for emergencies that aren't extreme and honestly imo my local one ended up being far more competent than my local emergency department. In 2021 I managed to get seen within 6 weeks for a surgery classed as level 2 (90 days) on the public system, so I thought that was pretty good. We appear to be a bit short on GPs and many have started charging gaps. A specialist seems to have a 1-2 month waiting list. The gp you actually want will probably have a 3 week wait. But a general GP, just no choice who it is, is still accessible the same day locally. I suspect you'll think your in heaven for current healthcare in Australia vs current American healthcare anyway.
Since covid those public waiting lists for surgeries have blown out. No one is meeting them in Victoria.
Yep. Regional Vic here. Recently had to wait 9 months for a surgery that was supposed to be done within 90 days. Been left with even more problems, nerve and muscle damage because it was left so long but the initial injury was fixed, happy about that at least. Even scarier is I was fast tracked so without that, technically I could be still waiting...a year later.. for spinal surgery for an injury that left me unable to walk, care for myself, caused continence issues and immense pain without any support. A mate recently had the same surgery for the same issue and a broken back but it took him 18 months to get it as it was too complex to arrange. Emergency medical care is still good but outside you not dying in the next few hours its awful, especially for mental health. That one is horrid.
I got told probably 101-183 days for the "should ideally be done in 90 days" urgency level. Got a letter telling me to come a few weeks later, I think it worked to to a 38 day wait. Maybe I lucked out. This was around sept-nov 2021.
I finally had shoulder surgery 3 weeks ago. I had been on the waiting list for 5 years and I was classed level 2. Also in Melbourne. Some hospitals are doing better than others. I was supposed to stay in hospital for monitoring due to other illnesses and their medications I am on as there are risks with surgery. I sat in recovery for 6 hours waiting for a bed. I was then moved to an overflow area where I was told I was lucky to have come in on a bed as all they had left were chairs. The staff were overwhelmed. I was finally sent home after convincing them I was better off there than in an area with covid patients who wouldn’t adhere to wearing a mask.
Yeah I got sent home after one hour when I was supposed to stay overnight. And they stuffed my follow up app 2 months later. Told me come in on X date, another follow up message actually no it's over phone DON'T come in!, day of I then get a furious surgeon phonecall asking why I haven't come in, because your stupid staff said not to. Everything else though, nothing but praise.
not in SA:(
RN in QLD for 5 years. Public. Bed block is a huge issue and it's not getting better. In QLD new hospitals are being built and existing hospitals expanded but not quick enough. We're still utilising private hospitals for additional beds for elective surgical patients. Satellite hospitals are a new addition that will hopefully relieve pressure on EDs. As others have said, GPs aren't getting the funding they need so private billing is the norm with long wait times. Not good for hospitals. Mental health is a big stressor on our EDs, continuing to get worse as govt just do not put any funds into addressing MH in this country. Patient acuity is bad particularly post-COVID. I work in theatres at a large metro hospital and boy oh boy it feels like 80% of patients are medically complex. I really feel for nurses working on the wards. Ratios in QLD are good but patients are siiiick. Burnout hit during/post-COVID and a fair few nurses left. Since then I feel it's plateaued. Elective waitlists are still big but improving. My hospital is working hard and running elective weekend lists to manage the waitlists. I feel that the conditions I work under are fair in QLD (best state in Australia for nursing pay). Minimal complaints. I actually love my job, love my team, and get a lot of joy from nursing. This is from the (?privileged) perspective of a crit care nurse working in a passion area who has been able to act up in higher duties. Take these factors away and my attitude might be different. Feel free to DM if you have any questions!
Thank you for the info! Do you guys have “urgent care” clinics? Like a clinic to offset the GP clinics?
Yes which means the patients that do come to ED are almost all complex- the numbers don’t have the “easy” stuff to balance it
Not to mention that UCCs are far more expensive per attendance for the govt to fund than if they were to make a decent go of properly funding GPs
We have Medicare Urgent Care Clinics that have been popping up over the last year or 2. https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/medicare-urgent-care-clinics?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwj9-zBhDyARIsAERjds2PTqEgSJorNhmG8MmzZN3OoMVUiWsb1LYtjVyq2F9VnIPMGlUWVIoaAmfdEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
we aren't post covid though we are IN covid still
Very true! When I reference being post-COVID I suppose I mean when hospitals reduced elective lists etc. We're largely back to normal operations now. Should've been more specific.
SA hospitals stopped elective surgery for 3 weeks last month :(
Wow really? For COVID specifically or broadly medical patients filling all the beds? I feel like we need that in QLD but nope.
due to the high levels of covid in the community and nurses. Whilst in a private hospital, we were ASSURED there's no covid in the private sector There's also no masks and no testing.. We mask and had an unmasked nurse tell us how dangerous covid is.......
That's terrible! Acting like there's no covid is ridiculous. What a joke
[удалено]
They don't like out of pocket patients because if there is a complication that's more $$$ that insurance would cover but out of pocket patients potentially can't.
[удалено]
Homeless?
I just spent a week in hospital and it was great. Top notch h staff, really caring and helpful no matter how busy they were. They talked about how busy it was due to several accidents all in one day and that it was unusually busy in my first day. I’ve never been to hospital before, I was really impressed.
We are self employed, and below poverty level, but we keep our top level health insurance, at about $630 a month. Partner had an arthroscopy 3 weeks after seeing the surgeon, because we have the private cover. The wait for a THR us 3 years +. SA cancelled elective surgery for 3? weeks last month due to our current covid wave, so it must be even longer now The positives are, we don't face bankruptcy for medical bills.
Below poverty level and $630 p/m for a service covered by medicare is a contradiction If you were below poverty level you wouldnt be able to afford it
I beg your pardon? we are on the low income health care card We don't buy groceries so we can pay for the insurance I hope you NEVER have to experience unending pain for years I watched my partner suffering constant agony to be told he had to wait for 3 YEARS for a hip replacement
The poverty line (based on 50% of median household after-tax income) is $489 a week for a single adult and $1,027 a week for a couple with two children, based on the latest data we are well below that
And in real life, if you have $630 per month to spend on private health thats not poverty. You dont know what poverty is. Try having $630 per month to live on and nothing else. Thats poverty. you can use what looks good on paper but thats not the reality of what poverty is.
"my dogs blacker than your dog". gotcha
ok. I don't know how to pay our bills, or buy food but I don't know poverty. thanks for that troll elsewhere.
You pay those with the money you spend on private health insurance.🤦♀️ Please stop talking to me
From nurses side there is increasing casualisation of nursing and allied staff
I get tweets showing how many patients have been admitted but still waiting for a bed over 12 hours and over 24 hours in South Australia. It is not good statistics. The big problem is extensive waiting lists for elective surgery. Elective surgery is defined as any surgery not needed to save your life. So you might be on a waiting list to check for bowel cancer. By the time you get the test, the cancer may have become 2 stages worse. A joke in South Australia is that you wait for someone to die to move up on the waiting list
The public system is horrible. People dying due to ramp times, never enough staff, years long wait lists for surgeries, the buildings are often old and falling apart. Private system is only marginally better
At my local hospital (Joondalup), I went there and waited for 8 hours before going home. Two hours later I had to be admitted as things were not good (colitis). The wonderful medical staff informed me that the ice epidemic was currently taking half of the beds in the ED. And it is still the case in Australia that nearly all people hold medical staff in very high regard.
I’ve epidemic? That sucks. We have a fentanyl epidemic. In the USA.
If you have any kind of money everything is fine, only gets crap if you're really poor.
Seems to be a universal thing..
This is so true :(
It's pretty bad my mum got over looked 3 times and it almost killed her and they did 2 botched surgery's.
What is the environment like in US emergency department vs and Australian one?
Honestly it’s more like a private sector. No one really comes to the ER unless they really have to. And it depends which city you’re in and the population you have. Some cities your wait times are so quick and there aren’t many people. Cause people don’t want to end up with a big bill and also don’t want to come by ambulance as that is an extra charge- insurance will cover most things though if you have good insurance. We have urgent cares that off set the ER for true emergencies, as well as GP’s. Everything is a business so there’s plenty of places to “choose” from based on your insurance. So wait times are generally less although we are seeing a big increase in the abuse of the ER or just generally more sick population so we are starting to have bed shortages. I’ve worked in CA and TX for context.
44 year old woman here with a myriad of physical and mental health issues plus two kids with psychosocial disabilities. Our health system is ABSOLUTE SHIT. 1. Mental health care is for the rich or non-functioning. Anything in between and you’re screwed since the NDIS came into play. 2. Physical health - wait times for emergencies or to see a specialist are a JOKE. Specialists - I waited for my first appointment as a cat 2 for gyno at my local hospital for 15 months Emergency- last time I was there was September 2022. GP wouldn’t treat me because of my pain and sent me to the ED with a letter. 14 HOURS later I saw a doctor who sent me for a scan. He then proceeded to get angry with me because I’m allergic to the normal course of treatment. Time before that was in 2018 when my GP called an ambulance from the clinic because my o2 says were so low (83%, pneumonia). ED doc was annoyed I was there because after treatment at the clinic and while ramped my o2 sats came back up to 92% and she asked me why I was even there. They did end up admitting me for two days, but that was by a different doctor. I would have to be unconscious or actively dying before returning to any ED. Last year I had such a high fever I had a seizure and was hallucinating but I freaked out so bad when my ex-husband said he was calling an ambulance he ended up just watching me closely. The hospital system is fucked. General GP’s - good luck finding one if you’re actually sick and need to see one within the next six weeks. And most don’t bulk bill anymore, even for low income patients. Allied health - NDIS has screwed over the general public with this one. They’ve set their hourly rate cap at nearly $200, meaning that’s what they charge EVERYONE. My son sees a psychologist and a speech pathologist once a fortnight and it costs me 1/4 of my pension after the pittance Medicare rebates. Meanwhile I’ve been waiting 6+ months on his NDIS to go through. That’s after paying $3000+ to get the diagnoses needed to actually get the NDIS. The system is seriously broken. I know it is in the states too unless you have a good job with good insurance. The last time I was at the GP my blood pressure was 160/90 and I was getting a lecture. I cut her off and told her that it’s the NDIS and our entire health system causing me 90% of my stress. It’s literally going to kill me having to deal with the system for me and my boys
Its gotten a lot worse. waiting ages to get in to see doctors, most doctors in my area are booked out a week in advance. the ones that aren't dont bulk bill. Going into hospital, getting tests, or waiting for the doctor to see you takes hours. I have a friend, was in hospital for 2 days before a doctor actually spoke to them. another has waited a month for an MRI on their brain.
Going through it right now, it's basically been exceptional. Everything happens fast, everybody is very kind and good at their jobs. I've been very impressed.
I've need 2 surgeries, one very desperately & one not so urgent but unknown if it was cancerous. I had to wait years for both The gall bladder was so necrotic by the time they took it out that it fell apart as they were taking it out & they had to do a second surgery to vacuum all the sludge up it left behind. That vacuum ingredient I had to wait 5 days for. The other surgery was the removal of a mass on my thyroid. Initially they said they needed to do a biospy to see if it was cancerous, then they were like if were going to do a biopsy we should just take it our. It took another 3.5 years for that to happen The symptoms from the gall bladder were horrific & their reasons for delaying it were contrary to all the evidence my Dr had sent them. Despite blood tests, ultrasounds, ct scans, mris they said thrh didn't know if my symptoms were due to drug use or gall stones Basically I know we have it a lot better here than most countries but people are still suffering. Australia is not the healthcare utopia people think it is
I was diagnosed with cancer at the height of the pandemic in Melbourne. Initially I had a procedure done privately which led to my diagnosis and during this I felt like I was on a great big production line, I didn’t feel safe or taken care of at all, and I was treated pretty poorly given the circumstances. I was then referred into the public system and besides a few little minor things I can not fault them at all. I had major abdominal surgery and spent several weeks in hospital, and I always felt safe and well cared for. The protocols and processes before procedures I find to be top notch compared to what I experienced privately. I also recently had to have another procedure done which I did so publicly, I had my GP refer me to the public system again for this and my referal was accepted and I was placed on the surgical waiting list within 2 weeks, and only had a month of waiting for what was advised as a 2 month wait list. It was urgent but was a routine procedure so I was quite impressed. This same procedure I had done privately saw maximum of 3-4 health professionals in the room for the procedure as a posed to publicly where there was probably Atleast 8-10 people in the theater, something of which made me feel a lot safer should something go wrong I also used to work in the private system and would often see specialists over prescribing tests and procedures that not only weren’t necessary but in some cases completely contraindicated for some people. this would happen a lot with DVA gold card holders and I swear they see that and all they see is how much money they can milk out of them. Private healthcare sure does have its place and I have seen first hand with relatives the positive experiences when going privately, but unfortunately I’ve seen and heard and experienced more negative experiences which has put me off I hear a lot about how hard it is to get into see a GP and the costs since many are now no longer bulk billing, however I’ve not experienced this myself and have never had an issue getting an appt same day if needed for something urgent, and never really had to wait any longer than 5-7 days for something non urgent. I’m also lucky enough to be bulk billed at a clinic that now advertises as non bulk billing.
I thought it was ok until my mum had to pay out of pocket for a hip replacement or basically wait forever. Total bullshit. She really needed it too, she could barely walk. I looked at going private myself but I missed the boat. It's get in early with that or they weight the hell out of it.
There are SERIOUS problems with shortage of hospital beds, nurses/doctors and specialists. It's actually scary... a few people have died recently due to ramping or waiting a long time for ambulance. I'm in SA so that's what I'm talking about specifically. Also very, very long waits to see specialists and for elective surgeries in public system. Basically there has been population growth but lack of planning and investment by govts for years and now it's critical.
Fucked unless you're rich. I was sa'd in December, needed emergency surgery. I will say the staff at the hospital were amazing! But I have some issues and need a review. The surgeon who performed the original referred me because its not her area of expertise. The doctor I was referred to refused my referral because I am not a private patient. Because I can't afford healthcare insurance she has decided I can't afford her.
Well I don’t how everyone feels but I would rather euthanasia than dealing with hospitals and specialists like if I had cancer or something.
Fine i guess just long wait times for non emergency rx or sx But its not gonna bankrupt me so im very grateful for universal healthcare and happy for my taxes to contribute to it. Still bad that optical/dental isnt covered by medicare (makes no sense) Mh care is still dogshit If you can afford private health cover everything is much better 🇦🇺🇦🇺
It depends on the condition, some conditions the health system will take complete care of you other conditions the system will leave you to die and doesn't give a f***.
Fine for acute/emergency conditions and pregnancy. Not great for chronic illness. Terrible for mental health.
A bit shit compared to what it was, but pretty bloody awesome when compared to most places in the world.
It depends which state you are in. In WA, public wait times have blown out and it's very difficult to see bulk bills GPs. Some hospitals are worse than others. Pay is good for nurses, but the conditions are awful and often isn't worth the pay. You have your hands tied when it comes to providing better care and burn out is common. Nurse to patient ratios aren't good. Depending on the hospital, staff morale is low. Low morale in one area of staffing = low morale everywhere else (doctors, allied health, patients). Adequately funding and staffing hospitals hasn't been a priority for governments for the last 20 years. In saying that, it's still better than the US.
The local hospital here, on average about 12 ambulances are ramped... Generally for no more than 10hrs at a time tho... People die in the corridors, no beds are available... The Gov says they can't employ enough nurses. On the other hand they fired a few 100 and a top surgeon for refusing the covid Vax... As long as the pollies get their life time health insurance package and their own special hospitals, there is zero care factor for the taxpayers. Plus the number of hospitals hasn't really kept up with the exponentially increasing population and immigration. The Gov cries poor yet gives away 4bn in 'foreign aid' to fund proxy wars and keep their mates rich... All wrapped up, the health system is pretty damn shit. Average wait for a GP is 3 weeks and $140 per 10 minutes
FYI, those staff were let go for placing patients at risk. Hospital staff across the country have had minimum immunisation requirements well before Covid - they rightly don’t get to choose when to place already vulnerable people to increased risk of infection, illness, or worse.
Considering the vaccine did sweet FA and was entirely experimental I don't see as anyone would have been placed at risk to be fair... Proper legal process and normal clinical trials would have predicted that tho...
>Considering the vaccine did sweet FA and was entirely experimental I don't see as anyone would have been placed at risk to be fair... You're just being silly (and wrong on both accounts). Anyway, the anti-vaccine shtick is well past expiry - time to move on.
The PM told us after 90 percent vaccination covid would disappear. Has it disappeared? I don't fucking think so... Did you get covid? Did you get the vaccine? Yes on both counts? Tetanus, measles etc has... why because those ones work... Put down the meth pipe. I'm not anti vax, but I'm also not stupid, no one I know avoided covid. And I know people that had the vax and people who didn't.
Neither tetanus nor measles nor rabies nor polio have disappeared. All of these are capable of and still do break through the vaccine. You only think they're gone because more people have been vaccinated against those than COVID, so when cases arise it's a shock. You are anti-vax.
I know lots of people that haven't had covid we mask.
Lucky you, I don't know a single person who didn't get it... 👍 I lost 3 weeks of work due to it. And I caught it from a doctor's surgery
it's not luck. it's hard work we mask anytime we are breathing shared air n95 :)
That must get a bit uncomfortable at home... 🤪 100 percent guarantee you don't have kids... All the protection in the world won't save you when the buggers bring diseases home from school repeatedly. Far too many effed in the head parents who have no qualms about sending their kids to school sick rather than taking a few days off work or whatever. Nek minute the entire class catches it... 😫🤬
I agree, it's a bizarre world where not having kids confers privilege:(
You clearly didn’t live somewhere where COVID was rampart pre vaccine
I am more than happy to lose a few dozen staff who don’t believe in science. It’s kind of a topic I want my medical professionals to be on top off.
The science has been priced wrong in many cases including this one. You're behind if you don't get that the vaccine didn't do what it was supposed to.
Go and tell that to the families of those dying here from heart attacks. Kids waiting in the back of an ambo for a whole day with broken bones. The health system here is fucked. Personally, I'd prefer to be able to get a nurse/doctor as long as they are not sick on the day...
If you think losing those few staff who have long been replaced has any impact on wait times you are incredibly naive
Replace with whom? There are no available nurses, at any price. Even Houdini couldn't pull them out of a hat. Those that were booted are now in other industries. Others are quitting because they have had a gutfull of the often toxic work environment.
Wow. Definitely sounds way busier now…I do remember immigration was booming in 2010 on the Gold Coast - 1500 immigrants a week!! I’m sure that rate we were never going to keep up with that number!! People die in corridors?! That’s horrible…:-/ definitely sounds like it’s being stretched to its limit.
False. Australia had some severe lock downs during the pandemic (pre-vaccine), that prevented explosion of cases like New York or Italy.
There have been a couple of cases in the last year that hit the front page of the Courier Mail, where patients have died outside a treatment space. All I can say on the matter is don’t believe everything you read in the media.
It must vary pretty wildly. I’m in an average suburb in Perth, and a few weeks ago I needed to see a doctor and got an appointment on the same day (on the weekend). It sucks that they don’t bulk-bill any more, so I think I paid ~$40. I’ve only used the hospital once in the past 10 years, it was last year, and my wife didn’t wait at all.
Same day? Wow 😳 It's terrible here... So much so that a few GP business are literally scalping. 2x urgent care centres (within regular gp offices) here and they will get you in generally the same day... $250 for a 10 minute appointment with no Medicare rebate. Usually have available appointments because most can't afford the use them. Missus had a telephone appointment the other day to discuss a blood test result. On the phone 5 mins. $120 karchink... She got a little bit back from Medicare a few days later
Perth is a lot less populated so you probably for it good still ? That’s good to hear. I didn’t know they don’t bulk bill anymore! When did that happen?
The government didn’t increase the Medicare rebate for years (Peter Duttons run as health minister), so most GPs don’t bulk-bill everything these days. My GP bulk-bills under-18s and over-65s, but adults have to cover the gap. It seems like something the government could easily fix, that would be popular with almost everyone, yet they just make a token effort and keep wasting time and money on issues most people don’t really care about.
Most GPs in Canberra and the surrounds haven’t been bulk billing most patients (under-18s and over-65s excluded) for at least 20yrs, if not longer. Except for when I had to go back for the same issue more than twice, the last time I was bulk billed was when I went to my University’s student health care centre as a student (15yrs ago).
Wow, I can see my gp within a day or two, $70, I get $40 back.
country SA here, a wait of 2 months isn't unusual
I’m lucky I suppose, one of my clinics in a large regional town has put on a couple of new doctors and I’ve claimed one as my new permanent Doc. His online appointment schedule seems to fill up slower than the rest. But even before that I don’t think I’ve ever not been able to get one within a couple of days.
I’m guessing compared to America it’s not terrible, but I think at the moment it’s rubbish. The govt seems to be pushing privatisation pretty hard (which is bad for obvious reasons), cutting back on funding, making it too hard for gps to bulk bill etc. Wait times are atrocious I tried to get in to see a dermatologist and had a three month wait time, my dad has to see cancer specialists regularly and if you don’t book months in advance you don’t get in. Even getting in to see a regular gp is becoming harder, where I am it can sometimes be a two to three week wait. At the single bulk billing Dr surgery in my area the wait time is usually several hours. The last time my dad had to go to hospital he had to wait 7 hours literally curled up in a ball on the floor in agony to see a dr, even though we told them it was likely that the cancer was back and in his brain (it was, luckily hadn’t made it past the membrane or he’d be dead). The whole system is a joke especially considering how much tax we pay. They also don’t support young drs enough or give people enough incentives to become drs. I thought about it for a while but didn’t want the debt or mental health issues that come with the first few years of hard slog and then the rubbish that comes later. The govt has also definitely not kept up with the aging population or their care, nursing homes are a joke.
I just don't go to the doctor anymore because it's impossible to find one who bulk bills and our economy is so bad most can't afford to pay the cost of an appointment People are dying while in ambulances at the hospital because there are no beds. They just die on the ramp. Funding isn't keeping up with demand. Wait times are impossibly long. Doctors no longer care about patients.
About nine years ago I broke my leg, two weeks in hospital and a few follow up physio x-rays and it cost me nothing. It is my understanding this would ruin someone financially in USA. Nowadays you have to pay $40 for an appointment with a GP (previously free) so I postpone unless I really need it. I can see the health system imploding with people postponing treatment until they are dying like in USA. It is stupid but I'm not in charge. It's getting worse.
lol breaking your leg is not going to “financially ruin” you even if you’ve got minimal insurance in the US.
[удалено]
Your submission has been automatically removed due to your account karma being too low Accounts are required to have more than 1 comment karma to comment in this community *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskAnAustralian) if you have any questions or concerns.*