NT hospitals: Only 50 per cent of ED presentations seen within clinically recommended time frame

‘Health system is failing’: Damning new figures show only 50 per cent of presentations at NT public hospital emergency departments are seen on time. Territorians have shared their horror stories.

Just 50 per cent of presentations to public hospital emergency departments in the Northern Territory are seen within clinically recommended time frames. Picture: File

Just half of patients who present to public hospital emergency departments in the Northern Territory are seen within clinically recommended time frames.

The damning statistics are included within the Productivity Commission’s recently released Report on Government Services 2024, which has shown an 18 percentage point decline in the Territory’s performance between 2019–20 and 2022–23, down from a high of 68 per cent.

According to the report, the NT is now one of the worst performing jurisdictions in Australia on the metric, marginally ahead of Western Australia.

Nationally, 65 per cent of ED presentations are seen within clinically recommended time frames.

The most common presentation to local EDs are patients assessed as being in the ‘Urgent’ and ‘Semi-Urgent’ triage category – meaning they have either a potentially life-threatening condition such as heavy bleeding, or a potentially serious condition such as minor limb trauma.

These presentations should be seen within 30 minutes and 60 minutes respectively.

It is these two categories in which the NT is performing most poorly, with just 44 per cent and 48 per cent seen on time, respectively.

Australasian College of Emergency Medicine president, Dr Stephen Gourley, who is the director of Alice Springs Hospital’s emergency department, said the blowout in wait times was evidence the “health system is failing”.

Dr Stephen Gourley, President of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. Picture: Supplied

“These waits are dangerous, especially for people with mental health issues, older people, those with complex care needs and Indigenous people,” he said.

“Waits increase the pressure on already overwhelmed staff and raise the risk of violence and aggression.”

The NT News recently reported on violence and anti-social within the Royal Darwin ED waiting area, with NT Health taking the extraordinary step of removing or bolting down all items that could be thrown or wielded as a weapon.

Dr Gourley said resources in the NT, which sees the highest per capita rate of ED presentations in Australia, “haven’t kept up with demand”.

Health Minister Selena Uibo. Picture Che Chorley

“We don’t have enough staffed hospital beds, so ‘double bunking’ is common, and

EDs can’t recruit or retain enough staff,” he said.

“Colleagues across the Territory tell me that shortages of nursing staff and senior doctors can get as high as 50 per cent.”

A Darwin woman, who asked not to be named in order to protect her employment, said she attended the RDH on the evening of February 23 in excruciating pain, concerned a recent surgery had failed, but left untreated after about seven hours.

“I gave up and [went] home still in pain,” she said.

“I don’t blame the staff, I blame the government.”

Steven Koever told the NT News he accidentally cut the tip of his finger off at BP Wishart about a year ago.

He said he drove himself to Palmerston Regional Hospital himself, not wanting to take up the time of St John NT paramedics who attended the scene.

“After five hours of waiting – it wasn’t busy, the doctor was walking around – I gave up and went home,” Mr Koever said.

In a statement, Health Minister Selena Uibo said increased pressure on public hospital emergency departments was not a problem unique to the NT.

She said shortfalls in the clinical workforce, as well as the number of long-stay aged care patients in hospitals, was worsening the bed block.

She said the NT Government had invested $12.8m in attracting new healthcare workers to the Territory, and was also rolling out programs to build the homegrown workforce.