Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 1282

❓ Mr. Zempilas asks the Minister for Health about outpatient wait times at WA public hospitals, referencing an ABC News article highlighting long waits and potential complications. The Minister's response indicates that accurate data is unavailable, but improvements are underway.

AnsweredQoN 1282Legislative Assembly

Asked

2 December 2025

Member

Mr Basil Zempilas

Portfolio

Health; Mental Health

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to an ABC News online article from November 13, 2025 headlined “Australians suffering 'irreversible complications' waiting years to see medical specialists” and a WA Health spokesperson quoted in that article that says hospital service providers "continuously monitor their outpatient wait times and report on patients who have waited longer than the recommended time", and ask: (a) For each public hospital in Western Australia and for each outpatient specialty offered at that hospital, as at the end of October 2025, can the Minister advise: (i) the number of patients waiting for a first non-admitted outpatient specialist appointment; (ii) the median waiting time (in days) from the date the referral was received by the hospital to the date of the first appointment; and (iii) the maximum waiting time (in days) from the date the referral was received by the hospital to the date of the first appointment?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

17 February 2026

Responded by

Minister for Health; Mental Health

Response time

4 days

(a) (i-iii)
Accurate and robust wait time data for outpatient services is not currently available. The Department of Health, in collaboration with Health Service Providers is undertaking extensive work to improve the quality, consistency and accuracy of this information.

View on Parliament of WA