Data shows NSW emergency rooms slammed with highest levels of life-threatening, critical cases

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park has blamed the Commonwealth for the growing levels of patients unable to be discharged from hospital due to a lack of NDIS packages and aged care spots.

New figures of NSW’s under-pressure ERs come as state, territory and federal government are attempting to mint a public hospitals funding agreement. Picture: Ian Currie

NSW emergency departments are being hammered with the highest level of life-threatening and critical cases since 2010, as state and territory ministers demand more federal support to solve the escalating bed block crisis.

Hospital data released by the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) of Wednesday revealed the number of people being admitted to hospitals reached a five-year high, with NSW’s public hospitals being crippled by bed block.

Figures from the state government reveal that in the year to September, bed block in NSW public hospitals increased by 54 per cent from 747 to 1151.

The majority of cases (72 per cent) were patients awaiting for a residential aged care facility, while 28 per cent were composed of patients requiring an NDIS support package tailored to their needs – both supports funded by the federal government.

Levels of bed block, where customers exceeded the estimated date of discharge, were the highest in some of the state’s largest and busiest hospitals.

Bed block at St George Hospital in Sydney’s south had increased five-fold from five to 30 patients, while affected patients at Gosford Hospital had increased from 12 to 39, an increase of 225 per cent.

Ahead of the state, territory and federal health ministers’ meeting on Friday, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park blamed rising levels of bed block on the Commonwealth.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park blamed a lack of action from the Commonwealth for the bed block crisis. Picture: Gaye Gerard

This comes as states are urging Mr Butler to increase its share of funding to 42.5 per cent by 2030 and 45 per cent by 2035.

Mr Park said rates of bed block were “simply not sustainable”.

“Commonwealth bed block has serious consequences for our state hospitals – from wards, to

surgeries that can’t be conducted, to people waiting for beds in the ED,” he said.

However, federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the latest data also showed that “Medicare Urgent Care Clinics have been a game changer”.

He referenced BHI figures which BHI also reported a drop in semi-urgent and non-urgent ER presentations, which decreased by 5.1 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively.

He said the federally-funded centres have put “less pressures on NSW hospitals” because patients were presenting at the free clinics.

“It is crucial that all governments work to address the growing pressures in the public hospital system,” he said.

“Of course we don’t want any Australian to spend longer in hospital when they can be receiving care back at home or in aged care,” he added, flagging the government’s expanded Support at Home packages to allow older Australians to receive care at home.

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Originally published as Data shows NSW emergency rooms slammed with highest levels of life-threatening, critical cases