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Some patients may die as a result of the Townsville Hospital's urology unit bungle, the hospital's CEO has said. Queensland Health has commissioned an independent investigation into how and why the largest hospital in the state's north failed to provide follow-up appointments and diagnostic test results to hundreds of patients. Townsville Hospital and Health Service (THHS) CEO Keiran Keyes said a total of 218 patients experienced gaps in their care, and 77 of those had been or may have been exposed to harm. "For some of these 77 patients, they will be experiencing a [metastasis] of their cancer which may actually result in their death," Mr Keyes said. Mr Keyes said some adversely affected patients may have also experienced prolonged symptoms which could have been resolved earlier. The number of suspected affected patients has decreased since last week, when Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said 576 THHS patients had been lost to the system. The estimated number of patients thought to have been adversely affected has increased from 25 to 77. "We were initially concerned about 576 individual patient episodes, and I can confirm, having reviewed those more closely, that 218 [patients] have been lost to our urology service," Mr Keyes said. "Lost to service means we will have seen you, referred you for a diagnostic test and we've got no record of bringing you back or we've asked you to come back and see us in six months and again we've got no record of bringing you back." Mr Keyes said the worst affected patients, those experiencing a metastasis of cancer, would be seen by additional urologists set to begin work at THHS next week. A separate inquiry into urologist shortages in Queensland is being led by the state health department. Service apologises Mr Keyes said he unreservedly apologised to affected patients and understood the health service had suffered reputational damage because of the failings. He said the review of urology patients would be backdated further and include those who presented to the health service between 2021 and 2025. In Queensland Parliament on Thursday, Mr Nicholls said the public was right to be concerned about THHS. "The simple fact remains that too many patients missed the care they needed … in the time they should have received it," he said.
