Townsville Hospital investigation reveals cancer patients lost to care

Four serious safety breaches found

Investigators identified four specific incidents where the health service did not follow up with patients suspected or confirmed to have cancer. A single individual possessed a scheduled follow-up appointment that failed to be booked, causing him to return through a GP referral due to high-grade prostate cancer. Another received an MRI-guided biopsy indicating likely spread but was not recalled for results until a new referral arrived. A third patient had their follow-up cancelled while remaining on a waitlist without a new appointment booking.

Delays contributed to patient deaths

The investigation confirmed one patient died in 2023 before receiving reasonable treatment due to these health service failings. This individual was diagnosed with bladder cancer but did not receive an urgent referral to an oncologist. Another patient waited 549 days for a specialist appointment and 782 days for a biopsy before a diagnosis of high-grade cancer with metastases was made. A second death occurred in 2025, though the report did not directly attribute that fatality to hospital delays.

Workforce shortages caused care gaps

Doctors reviewed the more than 200-page report and stated warning signs about poor resourcing had been evident for years. Workforce shortages, human error, and reliance on paper records were found by the investigation to be major factors in urology care gaps. In principle, Queensland Health has accepted the 27 recommendations issued by investigators about these systemic problems. Michael Clements of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners noted they were spending time chasing up results for patients.