Top 20 worst NSW hospitals for bed block revealed

NSW’s busiest hospitals — burdened with the worst rates of “bed blocking” — have been exposed, as the Minns government trades blows with federal counterparts about aged care and NDIS patients left to languish in the system.

Sydney’s busiest and most overstretched hospitals burdened with the worst rates of “bed blocking” have been exposed, as sick patients are being forced to wait for up to 29 hours in emergency departments.

Westmead Hospital in Western Sydney had the worst bed block in the state with 57 beds used by aged care and NDIS patients who were ready to be discharged but could not find support.

NSW Health data obtained by The Daily Telegraph shows there were 1061 beds taken up by aged care and NDIS patients as of September 3, with more than half of these patients located at just 20 public hospitals.

It comes as sick patients waited 15 hours and 13 minutes on average in the Westmead emergency department to be treated, admitted and transferred to another hospital, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information data from April to June.

About 10 per cent of patients waited up to 29 hours as they could not be moved from the ED into general wards while beds were occupied, causing flow-on effects to ambulances ramped at the hospital and other units.

Wyong, Concord, and Shellharbour Hospitals had about 40 beds taken up by patients who overstayed their release date.

Shellharbour has just 134 beds in total, meaning about 30 per cent were out-of-action.

Coledale Hospital, which specialises in geriatric care, had all 38 of its beds taken up by aged care patients.

Westmead Hospital had the most beds taken up by aged care and NDIS patients in NSW. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

While Nepean, Liverpool and Campbelltown hospitals in the booming Western Sydney suburbs had between 33 to 37 blocked beds while patients waited almost 12 hours in the emergency department this last quarter.

This was well above the average statewide ED wait time of 8 hours and 43 minutes and double the six-hour target set for 80 per cent of patients.

Health Services Union NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said the numbers proved the current system was “unsustainable”.

“The bald truth is that our hospitals are being clogged by people who should be supported or treated in aged care or through the NDIS,” Mr Hayes said.

HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes said the current system was “unsustainable”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“This is a blatant cost shift from the Commonwealth to the States and it needs to stop.”

Health Minister Ryan Park said the lack of federal funding for the aged care and NDIS sectors was blowing out wait times.

“When beds are occupied in our wards for longer than they should be, it has a general flow-on effect throughout the entire hospital, including our emergency departments,” Mr Park said.

“The federal government needs to deliver on the aged care and NDIS placements that these patients need and deserve.”

At the time the wait time data was collected in June there were 975 cases of bed block. NSW Health suggested wait times have likely worsened due to the increase since this time.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park hit out at his federal counterparts for the lack of funding to the aged care and NDIS sectors. Picture: NewsWire/ Monique Harmer

But when Federal Health Minister Mark Butler was contacted for comment, a government spokeswoman said the ball was already rolling, with negotiations underway to finish a two-year-old NDIS funding deal.

“The Commonwealth remains committed to the December 2023 national cabinet deal, and we want to see it finalised by the end of the year,” the spokeswoman said.

But Opposition health spokeswoman Kellie Sloane said the infighting had to stop.

“Whether it is Chris Minns in Macquarie Street or Anthony Albanese in Canberra the reason for the crisis in our hospitals is Labor,” Ms Sloane said.

“NSW still has no five-year hospital funding agreement because the NSW government is in open warfare with Canberra over the future of the NDIS. This means more bed block and more patients waiting for beds.”