Waiting times getting worse in South Australia’s public hospital emergency departments

WAITING times in SA’s public hospital emergency departments are among the worst in the land and are getting worse, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows. Do you agree — VOTE NOW?

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SOUTH Australia’s public hospital emergency departments are among the worst in the land for waiting times — and are getting worse.

Just over half of the cases classed as ‘urgent’ were seen in the clinically recommended time last financial year.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data for 2016-17 released today shows the gridlock in the EDs is going backwards, including among high priority cases.

While all people needing resuscitation were treated immediately on arrival, only 67 per cent of the next tier, called emergency’ cases, were seen within the recommended 10 minutes, down from 70 per cent the previous year.

Among the next level of priority — ‘urgent’ cases — just 52 per cent of patients were seen within the recommended 30 minutes, down from 56 per cent the previous year.

Overall, only 64 per cent of patients were seen within the recommended time — the equal worst state in the nation and well behind the 73 per cent national figure.

This has fallen steadily over the past four years which includes the controversial Transforming Health reforms, from 75 per cent of patients in 2012-13 to 64 per cent.

Waiting times in SA’s public hospital emergency departments are among the worst in the land, according to a new report to be released on Wednesday

The opening of the $2.3 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital in September is yet to alleviate the situation with it often on Code White — more people waiting for treatment than beds in the ED.

On Monday morning there were 26 people waiting for inpatient beds after being treated in the RAH ED including five who had been waiting more than 24 hours. At 4pm yesterday there were 27 people waiting for an inpatient bed including three who had been waiting more than 24 hours.

The report shows there were 488,630 presentations to SA public hospital EDs in 2016-17 and the median waiting time for care blew out to 22 minutes, compared to 20 minutes the previous year and 15 minutes in 2010-11.

Median time between presentation and departure blew out to three hours eight minutes, the only jurisdiction above three hours, and up from two hours 52 minutes four years earlier.

Australasian College for Emergency Medicine president Simon Judkins said the bedblock is putting lives at risk.

He said overcrowding is occurring across the nation but “the situation has particular deteriorated in South Australia and Western Australia.”

Dr Judkins said the situation is associated with ‘an increase in patient deaths’.