South coast hospital report: How long your next trip to the ED might take

More than 10,000 people presented to a busy south coast hospital in the final months last year, despite ballooning wait times, according to a new report.

Patients arriving at a busy south coast hospital continue to face lagging treatment times as admissions from the emergency department almost double.

Less than 60 per cent of patients arriving at the Shoalhaven District Memorial Hospital ED in Nowra are treated on time, according to a new report.

For emergency admissions, that number drops as low as 35.6 per cent, little more than half the statewide average of 60.9 per cent.

The data, compiled by the Bureau of Health Information, tracks key performance indicators at hospitals across the state, including in Nowra, Batemans Bay, and Moruya.

In its quarterly report for October and December 2021, the bureau found that 2638 people were admitted to the Shoalhaven hospital from the emergency department, compared to just 1862 for the same period the year before.

As for elective surgeries, the average wait time for non-urgent procedures was a year, trailing the peer average by 60 days, while for semi-urgent procedures it was close to two months.

For urgent surgeries, wait times were one day above average at 15 days.

The striking statistics have been blasted by the Shadow Minister for Health, Ryan Park, who said the state government could not hide behind the impact of Covid.

“These figures are proof we have a healthcare system that is under continued pressure,” NSW Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park said of a new report into hospital performance. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

“These figures are proof we have a healthcare system that is under continued pressure,” Mr Park said.

“From Wollongong to Shellharbour and the Shoalhaven, all three major hospitals in the Illawarra continue to show they are under resourced and struggling to cope with increased demand.

“Our frontline healthcare workers do such an incredible job particularly with the challenges they have faced over the last few years, but they need the government to listen to them.

“We cannot expect them to continue to work with ongoing staff shortages, especially as we begin preparations for what could be another challenging winter period.”

Mr Park said hospitals needed urgent action to address the crisis.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association general secretary Brett Holmes said the amount of time critically unwell patients were spending in emergency departments was an issue across metropolitan and regional hospitals.

“The October to December hospital data again shows the increased strain on our health system, particularly in emergency departments and operating theatres, which is impacting on the time patients are having to wait for emergency care and elective surgeries,” Mr Holmes said.

NSW Nurses and Midwives Association general secretary Brett Holmes said the amount of time critically unwell patients were spending in emergency departments was an issue across metropolitan and regional hospitals. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Bianca De Marchi

“Our public hospital system has been under immense pressure for an extended period and it’s being hampered by a widespread staffing crisis, including increased overtime, growing skills mix issues and recruitment delays.”

The emergence of the Omicron variant and the rapid increase in cases at the end of December was singled out as a reason for the increased pressure on hospitals, according to a statement by the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

According to the ISLHD executive director of clinical operations Margaret Martin, the district had to once again refocus its efforts on the pandemic response and increase Covid services both in hospitals and in the community.

“During this quarter, non-urgent elective surgery was temporarily paused in ISLHD so the resources and capacity required for the Covid response could be maintained,” Ms Martin said.

“In total, 2,560 elective surgeries were performed across the district, a decrease of 24.8 per cent, or 842 fewer surgeries, compared with the same quarter in 2020.

“Almost all urgent elective surgery (99.9 per cent) was performed on time, while 65.7 per cent of non-urgent surgery was performed on time, an improvement of 15.3 percentage points compared with the same period the previous year.”

Ms Marton said ISLHD remained committed to ensuring non-urgent elective procedures that were delayed during the pandemic were conducted as quickly as possible.

Nurses protest outside the Shoalhaven District Hospital in Nowra as staff throughout the state walk off the job. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

“At the end of February 2022, the district’s hospitals had increased their elective surgery schedules to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic activity levels, including non-urgent overnight and day only surgery,” Ms Martin said.

“We continue to prioritise returning elective surgery to 100 per cent of pre pandemic activity levels, with a staged increase to occur over the next few months based on hospital and staffing capacity as well as any demand associated with the Covid response.”

Emergency department admissions returned to pre-pandemic levels during the quarter, according to Ms Martin.

“Shoalhaven Hospital ED had 10,452 attendances this quarter, a decrease of 507 attendances, or 4.6 per cent fewer, compared with the same period in 2020.

“These results are better than the average for hospitals of a similar size in NSW.”

In comparison, hospitals in Batemans Bay and Moruya were largely on par with state averages, according to the new report.

At Batemans Bay Hospital, eight in ten people admitted to the emergency department were treated on time, while 82 per cent left within four hours – a timescale which is an accepted testing standard –, compared to just two thirds at Shoalhaven.

In Moruya, 71 per cent of patients left on time.

Patients there waited only 84 days on average for semi-urgent elective surgery, compared to the state average of 227 days.

Admissions to the hospital from the emergency department at both hospitals was considerably lower, with only 486 admissions in Moruya and 338 in Batemans Bay.

At the South East Regional Hospital in Bega, 1137 people were admitted in the three month period, with 70 per cent of treatments happening on time.

The number of patients leaving within four hours of arrival was 69.5 per cent.