The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) has today released its latest Healthcare Quarterly report, highlighting the immense pressure the health system in Western Sydney is facing.
 
Two thirds (66.3 per cent) of the most critical Western Sydney emergency department presentations did not start on time. In the most egregious example, at Blacktown hospital more than four in five (81.4 per cent) of the most critical emergency treatments did not start on time.
 
The majority (50.4 per cent) of emergency department patients in Western Sydney had to spend more than 4 hours in the emergency department – including
 

• 61.1 per cent of patients at Nepean
• 60.5 per cent of patients at Westmead
• 57.9 per cent of patients at Blacktown

 
State-wide, the report noted that 42.9 per cent of the most critical emergency department patients did not have their treatments start on time, the highest percentage since reporting began in 2010.

Concerningly 55,305 patients – or one out of every 13 patients – left the emergency department without or before completing their treatment.

And 21.4 per cent of patients waited more than 30 minutes in the back of an ambulance – the highest since BHI began reporting this measure in 2013. Of these, 10 per cent waited longer than 54 minutes – up from 32 minutes in 2019.

The percentage of the most critical ambulance callouts waiting longer than the benchmark 10 minutes was 60.2 per cent – the lowest since 2010. The median response time for these critical cases was 8.8 minutes, equal to the longest recorded time since 2010.

NSW Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“These figures are proof we have a healthcare system that is at crisis levels. We have hospitals across Western Sydney that are under continued pressure. Whether it is Nepean, Westmead or Blacktown, all major hospitals continue to show they are under resourced and struggling to cope with increased demand.

“We need urgent action to address this crisis, there must be no excuses and no delays.

“The Government’s recent announcement of a boost to the workforce will take years before we see the benefits, in the meantime there are people who are left in pain because of their mismanagement.

“Patients across the Western Sydney are waiting longer for an ambulance, longer in the emergency department and longer for elective surgery.”
RYAN PARK MP
NSW SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH