Hospitals in remote, rural and regional NSW are "stretched beyond capacity" with demands that are "too great" says Australia's peak professional body. / (min cost $ 0 ) or signup to continue reading The latest [BHI] data shows there were 810,201 emergency department (ED) attendances - up 5.2% from the same quarter a year earlier and the highest of any quarter since BHI began reporting in 2010.
Of those, 192,874 patients arrived by ambulance - up 7.0% and also the highest ever. Just over sixty six per cent of all ED patients had their treatment start on time - down slightly from the same quarter last year.
Just 55.9% of patients left the ED within the recommended four hours - a record low. Across major regional hospitals those figures were worse.
Dubbo hospital saw 68.9 per cent of patients receive ED treatment on time down 5.7 per cent from the same time last year while only 44.
8 per cent were discharged within four downs, down 14.1 per cent. At John Hunter hospital the situation was even worse, 51.
1% started emergency treatment on time down 7.9 per cent from the previous year and only 35.2 per cent left on time down 2.
9 per cent. While at Wollongong hospital 67.7 per cent of patients started treatment on time down 0.
6 per cent while only 41.1 per cent left within the recommended four hours down 0.4 per cent.
Port Macquarie Base Hospital bucked the trend with 69 per cent starting emergency department treatment on time, up 0.4 per cent while 71 per cent were discharged within .
