WA Health questioned over patient delays

Concerns over West Australian public health appointments have been raised in parliament, with the health minister admitting patients can sometimes "fall between the cracks".

Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook highlighted ongoing appointment problems within the health department and cited delays of up to two months as a result of mistakes.

He told parliament on Thursday appointment confirmation letters were arriving late, and sometimes not at all, meaning patients missed important medical consultations.

Health Minister Kim Hames acknowledged mistakes were occasionally occurring, but pointed to the large volume of referrals that were being processed as a reason for the problem.

"There are going to be occasionally people who fall between the cracks - we try and fix it when that occurs," Dr Hames said.

Mr Cook said an administrate error had resulted in a 16-year-old boy missing a critical appointment, resulting in a two-month delay and his condition to worsen.

He gave a second example of a regional patient who was given one days' notice to attend surgery in Perth.