Townsville hospital oversight led to missed diagnoses and patient harm

The Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) became aware of these shortcomings after general practitioners began referring patients back to the hospital due to missing biopsy results.

A comprehensive report, exceeding 200 pages, published by Queensland Health this week details four instances of serious safety breaches. These cases involved patients with suspected or confirmed cancers who did not receive necessary follow-up.

One patient’s follow-up appointment was not scheduled, leading to a later diagnosis of high-grade prostate cancer. Another patient’s prostate biopsy results, indicating a likely spread of cancer, were not communicated, delaying diagnosis until a new referral. A third patient with a history of aggressive cancer remained on a waitlist after a scheduled appointment was canceled. Finally, a fourth patient was lost to follow-up after a biopsy confirmed high-grade prostate cancer.

The investigation confirmed that one patient died in 2023 due to delays in receiving treatment for bladder cancer. The report stated that a referral to an oncologist was needed urgently, but delays contributed to the patient’s decline and death. Another patient, now in palliative care, waited 549 days for their first specialist appointment and 782 days for a biopsy, ultimately receiving a diagnosis of high-grade cancer with metastases. A second patient’s death in 2025 was also noted, although the report did not directly link it to hospital delays.

The report attributes these issues to a combination of factors, including workforce shortages, human error, outdated paper-based administrative processes, and inadequate policies.

Townsville GP and rural chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Michael Clements, expressed concern about the prolonged wait times he observed for his patients. “We had noticed some of our urology patients waiting what seemed like exceedingly long times; we were worried that people were being lost,” he said. He believes the situation highlights a need for increased hospital funding.

The report indicated that THHS requires two additional full-time urologists to adequately serve its vast service area of over 148,000 square kilometers. Australian Medical Association Queensland president Nick Yim emphasized the need for a workforce plan to address the broader regional shortage, noting that Queensland is projected to be short 6,000 doctors by 2032.

Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls acknowledged the seriousness of the failings and announced a change in executive leadership at THHS. Queensland Health has committed to implementing all 27 recommendations outlined in the report.