Years of underinvestment have compounded these problems, says the Queensland Audit Office whose findings were described as "diabolical" by the state government.
"Queenslanders will have the opportunity to read for themselves just how badly Labor handled the health system," Health Minister Tim Nicholls told media on Wednesday.
An opposition spokesperson defended the previous state Labor government, saying the audit acknowledges "record investment, more frontline workers and more beds".
Health Minister Tim Nicholls says the state's so-called "satellite" hospitals have been mismanaged. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)
The backlog of hospital maintenance has soared to $2 billion with neglected upgrades to critical infrastructure posing serious risks.
"It's things like air conditioning, it's things like the sterile rooms to make sure that all the equipment that goes into a hospital theatre when people are being operated on is clean and able to be used free from infection," Mr Nicholls said.
Elective surgery waitlists have reached record levels, with more than 64,000 people waiting for operations - an increase of 30 per cent in nine years.
Mismanagement of "satellite" hospitals has compounded the challenges, according to the minister.
"Over 3000 people presented at so-called satellite hospitals for emergency care because they were confused," he said, adding the facilities were misnamed.
Emergency department performance has also worsened, with ramping - the time patients spend waiting on stretchers - reaching an all-time high of 44.5 per cent in June 2024.
Preventable hospital admissions remain a weak point, with Queensland ranked seventh out of eight states.
Combined with record outpatient wait times, the report paints a grim picture of patient care.
"Queensland Health has not met its seen-within time-related targets ... its results against the two most time-critical categories were the worst in nine years," the report said.
Thousands of staff have been added but shortages remain in specialists and rural and remote areas. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS)
Some progress was noted despite the grim findings, with Queensland Health adding 6259 new staff during the year to address growing demand.
But staff shortages continue including specialists and in rural and remote locations, the report said.
Infrastructure investment delivered 2200 additional hospital beds as part of a $2.1 billion funding package, while efforts to reduce waitlists showed some success with a 5.4 per cent decrease in patients experiencing significant delays.
Mr Nicholls said the LNP government is taking steps to address the challenges, including renaming satellite hospitals and committing to real-time hospital data reporting by February.
Labor accuses the government of laying the groundwork for cuts, having axed the Townsville hospital expansion and incentives to attract critical regional health workers, according to the spokesperson.
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