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The latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) Healthcare Quarterly report, released today, puts the spotlight on pressure points in the NSW health system that require urgent action to ensure NSW patients get the health care they need when they need it most.
The report showed record demand during January to March 2023 – the highest since BHI reports commenced in 2010– for ambulance services and hospital emergency departments.
AMA NSW President, Dr Michael Bonning, said the report’s findings provide the Minns Government with evidence and direction to ease the pressures to strengthen and maintain our health system as the best performing in the country.
“We need a vision for our health system,” Dr Bonning said.
“There is pressure on hospitals. There is pressure on ambulance services. There is pressure on public health services. And our GPs are working hard to meet patient demand for quality primary care.
“Despite these pressures, all our health care professionals and health workers are putting in a huge effort to ensure patients are looked after in the best possible way.
“We need to properly fund and resource all parts of the health system – and we must keep them connected.
“If one part of the health system is struggling, it affects efficiency and capacity in other parts of the system.
“We are still feeling the effects of the Covid pandemic but planning for the longer term must start now.”
The following statistics for the January-March quarter are alarming – and all are the worst since BHI reports began in 2010:
· There were 770, 089 emergency department attendances.
· 67.4per cent of all patients had their treatment start on time.
· 54.9 of triage 2 patients had their treatment start on time.
· 58.2per cent of all patients spent less than four hours in the emergency department.
There were 54,820 elective (planned) surgeries in the quarter, of which one in 10 patients waited longer than 523 days.
Dr Bonning said we need a long-term plan for elective surgery.
“We want to see a shift to performing more elective surgeries in public hospitals,” Dr Bonning said.
“This is important for patients. But it is also important for training our next generation of doctors.
“AMA NSW urges the new government to make proper funding for our public hospitals a priority.
“The evidence is clear. It is time for collaboration from all stakeholders to achieve meaningful and lasting reform.
“It is a critical time for health in NSW. It is also a time of enormous opportunity to make a real difference for patients across the State – in the cities, in the regions, and in remote areas.
“It is now time for action.
“AMA NSW is ready with policies, people, knowledge and experience to help the Government put patients first with a better health system,” Dr Bonning said.
Contact
AMA (NSW) Media: +61 419 402 955 | news@amansw.com.au