The time to prepare for the next COVID wave is now: AMA (NSW)

AMA (NSW) is urging the State and Federal Governments to shore up the health system ahead of the next COVID-wave.

The call for funding comes as two new reports, released today by the Bureau of Health Information (BHI), reveal the stark impact both Delta and Omicron had on the health system in 2021.

The BHI’s Healthcare Quarterly, which reported on the performance of NSW’s healthcare system in the fourth quarter (October to December) 2021, revealed the effect of lifting restrictions in NSW and the subsequent impact of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“As you would expect, we saw a sharp increase in ED attendances from mid-December when COVID case numbers started to climb across the state. And given the elective surgery suspension from August to October, it’s also not a surprise to find that wait times for semi-urgent elective surgery were the longest of any quarter since the BHI began reporting in 2010,” said Dr Danielle McMullen, AMA (NSW) President.

“However, knowing what we know now and seeing the impact that these waves have on the system, the only surprise is the failure to appropriately support the healthcare system to ensure we can handle the next COVID wave.

“NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has already signalled that within six weeks the State could be experiencing double the case numbers we currently have. We’re still learning about the BA2 sub variant of Omicron, but it appears to be highly transmissible, and that is concerning.

“Both Delta and Omicron revealed how critical our frontline health workers and health services are, as well as how important it is that they are properly resourced and supported.

“We need to take the lessons from the previous COVID-19 waves and look at ways to ensure our health system isn’t overloaded again.

“As the proverb suggests, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is now. The AMA has been calling for adequate funding solutions to primary care and public hospitals for years – and while greater investment in our health system would have been beneficial in dealing with the pandemic in earlier stages, we should be looking to fortify the system now so that we can more adequately meet the challenges of the future,” Dr McMullen said.

The second report released by the BHI, Healthcare in Focus: New South Wales and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, also examined healthcare system performance, capturing both the Delta wave and the Omicron wave, with an additional lens on community-based healthcare, including virtual care.

While the report found an increase in virtual care, for services where virtual care is not an option, there was a reduction in activity. For example, breast screening for women aged 50-74 decreased sharply from the beginning of the Delta wave.

“Early detection saves lives and is crucial in reducing the impact of treatments. Consequently, we expect there to be downstream effects on patients and health outcomes as a result of this deferred care.

“This re-enforces the necessity of adequately funding the healthcare system so that we can also meet the challenges of providing non-COVID care,” Dr McMullen said.

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