Horror flu season pressures Blacktown Hospital ED
A busy flu season has seen more than 1000 extra patients flood Blacktown Hospital’s emergency department. Patients waited up to 19 minutes longer to be discharged, but treatment waiting times have remained steady.
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Emergency waiting times have remained stable at Blacktown Hospital but patients are waiting longer to be discharged, the latest health data has revealed.
New figures from the Bureau of Health Information show the median wait time for patients in the hospital’s emergency department remained at nine minutes between April and June 2019.
About 74 per cent of patients started treatment on time, slightly above the hospital’s 2018 results and the state average of 70.5 per cent.
The median time to leave emergency rose 19 minutes to 3 hours and 46 minutes, with Blacktown patients waiting 36 minutes longer than the state average.
The data comes off the back of a horror flu season, which saw hospital staff treat a spike of 14,000 patients in the second quarter of 2019, or an extra 1123 patients compared to the same time last year.
Blacktown and Mt Druitt hospitals general manager Ned Katrib said the hospital continued to manage an “increased demand” for emergency services.
“As expected, the longest flu season in NSW since the 2009 pandemic has influenced the amount of patient presentations to our emergency departments, reflected in the latest Bureau of Health Information report,” Mr Katrib told the Advocate.
An additional 368 patients arrived at Blacktown Hospital by ambulance in the April to June quarter compared to the same time in 2018, with the median transfer time up slightly from 13 to 16 minutes and four minutes longer than the state average.
Data shows Blacktown Hospital experienced an increased demand for elective surgery, up 109 procedures compared to the same time last year. The median waiting time for urgent elective surgery fell to 13 days, down from 15 days in 2018.
Mr Katrib said the hospital’s recently-opened emergency department was equipped for more efficient care.
“The new Blacktown Hospital ED opened in August and has been specifically designed to meet the diversity of demand with facilities for faster triage, acute care, urgent care, short stay and emergencies,” Mr Katrib said.
“The proportion of patients who started treatment on time rose by 0.8 per cent to 73.5 per cent. This improvement was despite an 8.7 per cent increase of 1,123 presentations compared to the same quarter last year, taking the total above 14,000.
“Blacktown Hospital maintained its record with elective surgery, performing 100 per cent of procedures on time despite a 15.2 per cent rise in demand (an additional 109 procedures) which took the total to 828. This is a significant improvement since 2010, when 80.7 per cent of elective surgery procedures were performed on time.”
Mr Katrib praised staff for their efforts during a busy flu season.
“Thank you to all our staff for the role they play in ensuring people are treated in a safe, timely and respectful manner,” he said.
“The $700 million Blacktown and Mount Druitt hospitals expansion project will continue to reap benefits for patients across the district.”
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