Despite improvements, Canberra Health Services failed all but one of its emergency department wait-time targets
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Despite improvements, Canberra Health Services failed all but one of its emergency department wait-time targets

ABC  

The average time patients spent being treated in ACT emergency departments has improved in the past financial year, new data shows, but Canberra Health Services still failed to meet all but one of its emergency wait-time targets. "Previously, we've seen the patient sitting in the waiting room, we've seen the patient sitting in our ED, and now we're seeing them getting home and getting into beds, and that's what we're really excited to see," North Canberra Hospital emergency medicine director Dr Mike Hall said. Wait-time data 'artificial', doctor says North Canberra Hospital emergency medicine director Dr Mike Hall says measuring the time patients spend waiting to be seen is not a primary focus. Median ED wait time drops 'to a low of 25 minutes' ACT health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith says the ACT's median emergency department wait time has dropped for the fourth year in a row.

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History of this topic

WA has Australia's worst wait times for urgent presentations to public hospital emergency departments, report finds
1 month, 3 weeks ago

WA has Australia's worst wait times for urgent presentations to public hospital emergency departments, report finds

ABC  

West Australians in need of urgent care at emergency departments are experiencing the worst wait times in the country, a report has found. The Productivity Commission's report on government health services showed just 32 per cent of patients in need of urgent care were seen on time when presenting at WA public hospitals in 2023-24. The report found just 32 …

Demand for Canberra's health system is outpacing supply, forcing more patients to travel interstate for treatment
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Demand for Canberra's health system is outpacing supply, forcing more patients to travel interstate for treatment

ABC  

Femke Matthews lives just 10 minutes from Canberra's biggest hospital, so it was a shock to learn it would take a three-hour drive to access the medical treatment needed to save her daughter. "I didn't expect that would be our hub, that we wouldn't be able to get the proper treatment that we needed for that here in Canberra, the …

Emergency departments have become a 'safety net' — and we're waiting in them longer than ever before
2 years, 1 month ago

Emergency departments have become a 'safety net' — and we're waiting in them longer than ever before

ABC  

Melbourne mother Rachel Edmonds knows what it's like to wait for hours in a hospital emergency department — both as a patient and as the mother of a sick toddler. Key points: The annual Report on Government Services shows Australians are spending longer on average in emergency departments when they visit All states and territories recorded a rise in waiting …

Canberra Hospital patients set to be moved to private hospitals, aged care facilities as COVID-19 cases surge
2 years, 8 months ago

Canberra Hospital patients set to be moved to private hospitals, aged care facilities as COVID-19 cases surge

ABC  

Some patients currently at the Canberra Hospital are set to be moved to private hospitals or aged care facilities, as the pressure on the territory's main hospital continues to rise. Key points: Canberra Health Services CEO Cathie O'Neill says Canberra Hospital is running out of beds Canberra Health Services CEO Cathie O'Neill says Canberra Hospital is running out of beds …

Emergency departments are clogged and patients are waiting for hours or giving up. What's going on?
2 years, 9 months ago

Emergency departments are clogged and patients are waiting for hours or giving up. What's going on?

ABC  

Around 25,000 people visit hospital emergency departments across Australia every day. "Ambulance ramping" — where ambulances queue outside hospitals to hand over patients — has become more common and means some people wait long periods before they even arrive at emergency. Of the 8.8 million presentations at emergency departments each year, one in three people wait more than four hours …

Patients abandoning care in Victoria's emergency rooms doubles as hospitals grapple with shortages
2 years, 10 months ago

Patients abandoning care in Victoria's emergency rooms doubles as hospitals grapple with shortages

ABC  

It is a Saturday night in Melbourne and emergency departments across the city are overwhelmed. Key points: Some patients have told the ABC they were forced to wait more than 12 hours before giving up on getting care Experts say overcrowding in emergency departments is the worst it's been They say the problems are not just in emergency departments but …

Statistics reveal thousands of hours lost to ramping outside SA hospitals
3 years, 10 months ago

Statistics reveal thousands of hours lost to ramping outside SA hospitals

ABC  

New data shows the hours lost while ambulances were ramped outside South Australian hospitals has reached the worst level in 18 months. Key points: SA Ambulance Service has released new data on the hours lost to ramping The number of hours ambulances spent ramped has quadrupled over 12 months The SA government says it's expanding EDs and hiring more staff …

Canberra emergency department wait times are the worst in the country, but the Health Minister says she'll fix it in nine months
4 years, 2 months ago

Canberra emergency department wait times are the worst in the country, but the Health Minister says she'll fix it in nine months

ABC  

It took five hours for Kathryn Harradine's six-month-old son Andy to be treated for a lung infection at Canberra Hospital's emergency department. Key points: The ACT Health Minister wants 70 per cent of ED patients to be seen on time by October A doctor is being trialled at ED triage points in a bid to improve patient flow Elective surgery …

Canberra's healthcare system is under strain and it poses an enormous challenge to whoever wins the ACT election
4 years, 6 months ago

Canberra's healthcare system is under strain and it poses an enormous challenge to whoever wins the ACT election

ABC  

Five-year-old William McLennan is well-acquainted with the treatment handed out in the children's ward at the Canberra Hospital. Data tells a difficult story Demand for care in Canberra's public hospitals soared more than 50 per cent in the six years to 2020. A $500 million expansion to the Canberra Hospital would add 148 inpatient beds, 39 emergency beds, and double …

Thousands of Canberra's young people on specialist waiting lists, travelling interstate as Opposition calls for better healthcare
4 years, 7 months ago

Thousands of Canberra's young people on specialist waiting lists, travelling interstate as Opposition calls for better healthcare

ABC  

Jesse is just 12 years old, but she has almost as many specialist doctors as she has had birthdays. Key points: ACT Government figures show 4,000 children and young people are waiting for specialist doctor appointments The Canberra Liberals' health spokeswoman Vicki Dunne said the system was under "immense pressure" Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith says COVID-19 has worsened the situation …

Canberra mental health patients say they're avoiding treatment after 'traumatic' hospital admissions
4 years, 10 months ago

Canberra mental health patients say they're avoiding treatment after 'traumatic' hospital admissions

ABC  

The first time Caitlin Amey began hearing things, she called the mental health crisis team in a panic. "It is not accepted practice for a patient to remain in a bedroom with a broken lock … Canberra Health Services apologises to the patient for that," the spokeswoman said. Mental Health Minister Shane Rattenbury said changes were being made "all the …

Canberra mental health patients leaving hospital worse off than anywhere else in the country
5 years ago

Canberra mental health patients leaving hospital worse off than anywhere else in the country

ABC  

More often than anywhere else in the country, mental health patients in Canberra report leaving a hospital admission worse off than they entered. Key points: The Human Rights Commission is concerned mental health patients are being discharged before they are well, leading to unplanned readmissions Recent Productivity Commission data shows the clinical outcomes for mental health patients in Canberra are …

More patients waited over 24 hours at the Royal's ED than Victoria's four big hospitals combined
5 years, 5 months ago

More patients waited over 24 hours at the Royal's ED than Victoria's four big hospitals combined

ABC  

The Royal Hobart Hospital's emergency department had more than 1,800 patients wait longer than 24 hours in the last financial year, compared to just two patients at Victoria's four biggest hospitals in the same period, an inquest has heard. Key points: An inquest into a man's suicide attempt at Royal Hobart Hospital hears the facility has a shortage of psychiatric …

Sydney hospital patients reveal long wait-times, safety concerns at emergency departments
5 years, 11 months ago

Sydney hospital patients reveal long wait-times, safety concerns at emergency departments

ABC  

New data from the Bureau of Health Information has exposed deteriorating waiting times and safety concerns in some of Sydney's worst-performing emergency departments. Key points: 16 per cent of patients said they waited more than two hours for treatment last year Nine of the 10 worst-performing hospitals were in west and south-west Sydney 15 per cent of patients at Fairfield, …

SA mental health advocates call for services to keep patients out of ED
6 years, 1 month ago

SA mental health advocates call for services to keep patients out of ED

ABC  

For 23 years, Jacki Brune has been in and out of hospitals just to stay alive. Key points: SA is ranked worst in the nation for seeing mental health patients within "clinically recommended waiting times" Often there are no mental health beds for those who need them One charity is calling for more respite services With no intensive community-based mental …

Hospital overcrowding, wait times worst in Tasmania, territories
6 years, 8 months ago

Hospital overcrowding, wait times worst in Tasmania, territories

ABC  

Angela Harris' 83-year-old mother Juanita Webb, who lives in Hobart, had a fall while on a walk last month. Ms Harris said her mother was then taken into a cubicle in the emergency department where she waited for about another five hours. Snapshot reveals June waiting times A survey of emergency department directors across the country found the almost 12-hour …

Patients spent up to six days waiting in Royal Hobart Hospital ED for psych bed, stats show
6 years, 8 months ago

Patients spent up to six days waiting in Royal Hobart Hospital ED for psych bed, stats show

ABC  

Mental health patient wait times in Tasmania's emergency departments are the worst in 20 years, a senior representative of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry says. New figures released by the Tasmanian Government show in the financial year to March, mental health patients at the Royal Hobart Hospital waited as long as six days in the emergency …

Canberra GPs urged to reconsider sending patients to the emergency department
6 years, 9 months ago

Canberra GPs urged to reconsider sending patients to the emergency department

ABC  

Canberra GPs have been asked to think twice before referring their patients to the Canberra Hospital emergency department as it manages "very high levels of service demand". "Please note that Canberra Hospital and Health Services are currently experiencing very high levels of service demand and patient acuity," the letter, titled Important Message from Canberra Hospital, read. "ACT Health works closely …

Mental health 'crisis' as patients endure long waits at hospital emergency departments
7 years ago

Mental health 'crisis' as patients endure long waits at hospital emergency departments

ABC  

When Renai Buchanan felt desperately suicidal, hospital emergency departments were both the best and worst place to be. But Ms Buchanan said the long waits for assessment and treatment for mental health patients — which can take days — made her feel worthless and even more distressed. While she acknowledged hospital staff do their best in the situation, Ms Buchanan …

Doctor warns Tasmania's 'health crisis' will cost lives and more funding needed
7 years, 1 month ago

Doctor warns Tasmania's 'health crisis' will cost lives and more funding needed

ABC  

Australia's peak body for emergency medicine says overcrowding in the Royal Hobart Hospital's emergency department will cost lives. The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine's Dr Brian Doyle said the hospital's emergency department was "in crisis" and extra beds were needed now. "There is a crisis going on in the emergency departments in Tasmania, and it has to do with overcrowding …

Patient's four-day wait for bed at new Royal Adelaide Hospital 'completely unacceptable'
7 years, 4 months ago

Patient's four-day wait for bed at new Royal Adelaide Hospital 'completely unacceptable'

ABC  

An emergency patient at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital was forced to wait nearly four days for a bed, a senior SA Health executive has revealed at a hearing into the Government's controversial Transforming Health reforms. At today's Parliamentary Committee hearing, SA Health acting deputy chief executive Lynne Cowan was questioned on emergency waiting times at the hospital. But when …

Royal Hobart Hospital overloaded, staff under 'intense pressure', union says
7 years, 6 months ago

Royal Hobart Hospital overloaded, staff under 'intense pressure', union says

ABC  

A psychiatric patient has been waiting in the Royal Hobart Hospital's emergency department for a bed in the mental health ward for six days, according to unions, as the hospital copes with increased demand. However, the State Government said the patient was "under the care of a psychiatrist and accommodated in a private cubicle, where they received constant care". Tim …

Adelaide hospital emergency department waiting times fail to meet national target, SA Health figures show
9 years, 11 months ago

Adelaide hospital emergency department waiting times fail to meet national target, SA Health figures show

ABC  

Adelaide's hospital emergency departments are failing to meet a national target to ensure patients leave within four hours, new figures from SA Health show. The hospital emergency departments are absolutely overcrowded, but all hospitals are also over capacity, especially in acute mental health beds and the areas where we need to get people out of hospital quicker. "The hospital emergency …

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