Emergency department waiting times on the rise: BHI

This is according to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) emergency department data, which was collected from January to March 2019.

In the January to March period, the hospital saw an increase in emergency presentation by 2.8 per cent compared to the same quarter last year.

From the 4887 people in the emergency department, the median time for people treated and discharged was two hours and 24 minutes, an increase of 28 minutes from the same time last year.

The longest wait time in the 90th percentile was five hours and seven minutes, up by 56 minutes.

Patients who were treated and admitted in to hospital had to wait on average five hours and four minutes, an increase of 57 minutes.

The 90th percentile is nine hours and seven minutes, an increase of 60 minutes.

Patients who were transferred to other hospitals had to wait 5 hours and 4 minutes, an increase of 32 minutes, while the longest wait was 10 hours and 42 minutes, an increase of 207 minutes.

Patients who left without treatment or completing treatment left after one hour and 58 minutes, a slight increase of 8 minutes.

The longest someone waited without being treated or completed treatment was four hours and six minutes, an increase of 37 minutes.

The two biggest rises in admittance were in the urgent and semi-urgent triage categories.

The number of urgent patients seen in triage went up by 18 per cent, with an additional 281 patients being admitted, bringing the total to 1841.

Semi-urgent triage fared no better, with more than 206 people being admitted, bringing the total to 2124, a 10 per cent increase.

More than 4887 people presented themselves to Bowral and District hospital between the January to March period.

More than 403 patients left the emergency department before being treated.

3419 patients were treated and discharged at the hospital, a decrease of 144 people and four per cent

There was an increase of 2.5 per cent of people treated and admitted in to hospital, bringing the total from 757 to 776

A total number of 279 patients were transferred to other hospitals, 29 more than last year with an 11.6 per cent increase.

Bowral and District Hospital General Manager Ken Barnett said "patients are transferred to other hospitals for more specialist care when it is clinically appropriate and safe."

"Our team is doing a wonderful job caring for our patients and continue to review performance and models of care, to ensure our services meet the demands of the local community," Mr Barnett said.

"Bowral & District Hospital's $65 million redevelopment is well underway and will deliver improved ED access and contemporary health care services.

"The 2018-19 budget for South Western Sydney Local Health District was $1.9 billion, an increase of $85.8 million on the 2017-18 annualised budget.

"Between mid-2012 and mid-2018, the District increased its workforce by an additional 1921 full-time equivalent staff - an increase of over 22 per cent, including 321 more doctors and 916 more nurses."

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