October 6, 2026
The Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service – the organisation responsible for the South Burnett’s five public hospitals – admitted more than 75,000 acute in-patients in 2025-26.
The DDHHS annual report was tabled in State Parliament last week by Health Minister Tim Nicholls.
In 2025-26, the service admitted 75,003 in-patients to the 16 hospitals across its region, up 4.9 per cent on 2024-25.
Another 37,397 outpatients and sub-acute patients were treated, up 4.1 per cent over the previous 12 months.
The annual report revealed a mixed bag of service delivery; performance improved in some areas but declined in others.
In 2025-26, 28,470 people presented at Emergency Departments, up 4 per cent on the previous year.
DDHHA Emergency Departments reported seeing all critically urgent cases within the clinically recommended two minutes of arrival.
However, 59 per cent of less critical – although still urgent – patients were seen within the recommended 30 minutes of arrival, rather than the targeted 75 per cent.
The proportion of attendees who left Emergency within four hours of arrival was 71 per, short of the service’s 80 per cent target.
In 2025-26, 5603 elective surgical procedures were performed in DDHHS hospitals within clinically recommended times, reducing the median waiting time for surgery from 42 days in 2024-25 to 38 days.
DSHHS telehealth services were still popular, although the number of consultations (30,136) was down a little on the previous year.
Construction of the new Toowoomba Hospital is continuing with the new facility expected to open in 2029.
