1 week ago
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By Julius Dennis
September 30, 2025 — 4.01pm
The medical imaging results of up to 9000 patients, including hundreds who could be high-risk, are being investigated at a hospital north of Brisbane after an error was discovered in its review process.
The issue arose from an April 2023 change to how scans were distributed within Caboolture Hospital’s Specialist Outpatient Department.
Queensland’s director-general of health, Dr David Rosengren, said the change led to the possibility that some patients’ results may not have been reviewed by their treating specialist.
Queensland’s director-general of health says there is no indication that the issue with medical imaging tests extends beyond Caboolture Hospital’s Specialist Outpatient Department.
He said the problem was first raised on September 4 this year, but Metro North Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Elizabeth Rushbrook said the hospital only became aware of the widespread nature of the “systems issue” last week.
While 9000 patients being affected is considered a worst-case scenario, Rushbrook, who only learnt of the issue yesterday, admitted the number of high-risk patients involved could be in the hundreds.
She said scans are available to doctors both electronically and as hard copies, but in April 2023, hard copies became distributed inconsistently to the outpatient department.
She said the inconsistency was brought to light in September by an advanced cancer case, in which there was a five-week delay before the image could be reviewed.
“It became clear that, intermittently, that had been happening in that department for some time,” Rushbrook said.
The systems and processes at all Metro North hospitals are being reviewed, and the hospital is hoping to finish the audit within two weeks.
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Rushbrook said surgical, cardiac, respiratory and paediatric patients were affected by the issue, and that high-risk patients would be the initial focus of the audit.
She said none of the relevant scans had been lost.
Rosengren said Metro North was establishing a clinical team to review the results in question and contact all patients that could be affected.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said the government only learnt of the situation on Monday, and made it clear that any findings would be made public.
“Queenslanders deserve nothing less than that, and we will be asking questions as well, you can be sure,” he said.
The issues at Caboolture came in the same week that an investigation was launched into shortfalls at Townsville University Hospital’s urology services, where it is feared hundreds of patients might have missed out on critical care.
Rosengren said while the issues might appear similar, they could not be treated in the same way.
“The shortfalls in urology services highlighted local and system-wide pressures that required the need for a health service investigation and the establishment of a dedicated statewide urology taskforce,” he said.
“The cause of the issue with medical imaging tests at Caboolture Hospital is clear, and there is currently no indication this extends beyond the Specialist Outpatient Department.”
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