Sydney hospitals’ emergency waiting time reveal struggles

People with life threatening conditions are struggling to be treated on time at Prince of Wales Hospital, while the neighbouring Sydney Children’s Hospital has its own challenges, according to performance figures for NSW hospitals.

Nurses rush a patient through a hospital. Picture: Thinkstock

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Staff at the Prince of Wales Hospital treated 47 per cent of patients in the most serious triage category (emergency) on time from January to March, according to the Bureau of Health Information quarterly report.

Their counterparts at similar hospitals treated 56.6 per cent of these types of patients on time.

Prince of Wales Hospital gained an extension to its emergency department last year. Nurse unit manager emergency Liz Ryan and acting co-director of emergency Dr David Murphy. Picture: John Appleyard

The 11-minute wait for the emergency patients at Prince of Wales was a minute longer than the same period last year.

Doctors have had a particularly busy time. There were 16,377 cases at Prince of Wales emergency, which was 505 more than the same period in 2018.

A spokeswoman for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District noted this increase.

She said hospital staff have used a number of strategies since to improve treatment times (see the full response below).

This included the emergency nurse navigator helping with admissions, increased capacity for the emergency short stay unit, and other ways of improving patient flow.

Staff performed better for patients with less severe conditions.

On time treatment was given to 64 per cent of patients needing urgent care, 78.6 per cent of patients requiring semi-urgent care, and 84.1 per cent of patients whose care was deemed non-urgent.

Overall, Prince of Wales emergency staff treated 67.2 per cent of patients on time. This was better than the 65.7 per cent of similar hospitals.

At the nearby Sydney Children’s Hospital, those patients in the most serious category received earlier attention.

Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick. Picture: Steven Deare

Staff treated 65.4 per cent of emergency patients on time.

That was better than the 58.1 per cent for similar hospitals.

Sydney Children’s Hospital staff gave on time treatment to 68.3 per cent of patients needing urgent care, 61.5 per cent of patients requiring semi-urgent care, and 92.3 per cent of patients whose care was deemed non-urgent.

Overall, the hospital treated 63.6 per cent of patients on time. This was better than the 63.2 per cent of similar hospitals.

There were 8,946 patients at the emergency department during the three months. That was 398 more than the same period last year.

FULL South Eastern Sydney Local Health District RESPONSE

Prince of Wales Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) received 16,377 presentations in the January to March 2019 quarter, an increase of 3.2 per cent, or 505 more patients compared to the same period in 2018.

This includes 924 more patients in triage categories 1, 2 and 3, the most unwell patients, compared to the same period in 2018.

Some of our performance measures were impacted as a result of the overall increase

in presentations to the ED.

In response to this, Prince of Wales Hospital has implemented a number of strategies

that have seen significant improvements in treatment times, particularly for the most

urgent patients.

These strategies include revision of the role for the Emergency Nurse Navigator to assist with coordination and admission processes; increased capacity of the ED Short Stay Unit and utilisation and optimisation of the ED Fast Track areas to improve patient flow through the ED.

The 2018-19 budget for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District is over $1.76 billion, this is an increase of over $66 million on the 2017-18 annualised budget.

Between mid-2012 and mid-2018, the District has increased its workforce by an

additional 995 full-time equivalent staff – an increase of over 10 per cent, including 217 more doctors and 445 more nurses.

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