AMA (NSW) President: lack of health vision failing patients and hospitals

AMA (NSW) President, Prof Brad Frankum, says the ongoing record-breaking numbers of patients presenting at NSW Hospitals shows a complete failure to address healthcare needs.

“In 2016, all-time records were broken at the beginning of the year and then again at the end of the year for emergency department presentations.

“The proportion of patients in the more urgent triage categories is increasing and 2016 also saw all-time records broken for the number of sicker patients who need to be admitted to hospital from the emergency department.

“More urgent cases require more time and resources to treat and that’s left performance measures against things like the four-hour rule paralysed,” Prof Frankum said.

The Bureau of Health Information quarterly reports showed all-time records broken in the three main areas they measure (emergency, elective, and admissions) each quarter in 2016 –

• Q1: All-time record broken for the number of emergency department attendances
• Q2: All-time record broken for the number of elective surgeries performed and all-time record broken for the number of patients admitted to hospital
• Q3: All-time record broken for the number of patients admitted to hospital broken again
• Q4: All-time emergency department attendances record broken a second time in the same year

“Doctors and other staff members at hospitals are under incredible stress, as unprecedented patient loads just keep increasing in number.

“Talk of crisis in healthcare happens all too often but these reports show us that’s exactly what’s happening right now.

“The pressure cooker is set to blow,” Prof Frankum said.

“While it is easy to shift blame in healthcare policy, the Federal Government has been asleep at the wheel on health.

“The Commonwealth needs to move immediately to appropriately fund healthcare and this includes lifting the indexation freeze and addressing the years of underfunding this has contributed to.

“It needs to commit to long-term certainty of hospital funding and to develop a comprehensive vision for our health system based on making Australians healthier.

“This will also require investment in general practice which is proven to be the best investment in people’s health in terms of bang for buck.

“Instead of a vision for a healthier Australia, we have seen policies enacted aimed at turning people away from general practice and increasing the cost of health care.

“It’s little wonder that, in these circumstances, record numbers of patients are turning up at emergency departments in worse states than ever before.

“We need action from all levels of government now.

“The system is at breaking point and patients, doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers are suffering,” Prof Frankum said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones 0419 402 955