News
7 October, 2025
Caboolture Hospital scandal over records
CABOOLTURE Hospital has launched an urgent review into how imaging results are recorded and shared after a patient was not told they had advanced cancer, despite being scanned more than five weeks prior.
The review of more than 9,000 patient records within the Specialist Outpatient Department comes after the identification of inconsistencies in the management of records dating back to April 2023. This means Metro North Health cannot be certain all results were appropriately reviewed and actioned by the requesting clinician.
Metro North Health confirmed that approximately 9,000 records are being reviewed. The hospital first became aware of the issue between results and diagnosis after a patient presented at the hospital’s emergency department only five weeks after having a scan.
The scan revealed advanced cancer, but was never relayed to the patient or their requesting doctor. Queensland Health Metro North chief medical officer, Dr Elizabeth Rushbrook said “this is not okay” as she apologised for the situation.
“We want patients to know, which is why we’re here to talk to patients that if they’ve had a scan and they did not have a review, either by their GP or the specialist, then it’s important to follow up,” she said.
A dedicated clinical team has been assigned to review the results of surgical, cardiac, respiratory, and paediatric patients, with highest-risk areas including general surgery, respiratory, cardiology and paediatrics being reviewed first.
“If your care is affected, we’ll contact you directly. Patient safety is our top priority, and we’re committed to resolving this with care and transparency,” Metro North said in a statement.
Only patients who are identified as requiring follow up will be contacted. The health service emphasised that inpatients and emergency department patients are not affected, and that the issue only relates to outpatient imaging such as X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds.
Immediate measures have been implemented to strengthen internal processes and ensure imaging results are consistently reviewed and shared with treating specialists.
The review is expected to be completed within two weeks, with Metro North not anticipating it to cause delays to patients’ upcoming medical imaging tests.
“Patients can and should continue to have confidence in Metro North Health’s ability to deliver safe and effective care,” the statement said.
Patients who have visited the Caboolture Hospital Specialist Outpatients Department and are concerned can call (07) 5316 5163 between 8am and 4pm on business days.
Further updates will be shared via the Metro North Health website.
