WA has the worst wait times for urgent ED presentations, report finds
West Australians in need of urgent care at emergency departments are experiencing the worst wait times in the country, a report has found.
The health minister has blamed the result on a lack of bulk-billing GPs and aged care beds, saying people who are in “genuine emergencies” are getting the care required.
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 showed 48 per cent of overall ED presentations were seen within the recommended time frame, compared with the national average of 67 per cent.
The report found just 32 per cent of patients in need of urgent care were seen on time when presenting at WA public hospitals in 2023-24. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Australasian College for Emergency Medicine WA Faculty Chair Dr Vanessa Clayden told ABC Radio Perth she was not surprised by the results.
“I think everyone working within the WA health system is aware that it is slowly deteriorating in terms of access for patients,” Dr Clayden said.
“EDs are struggling in an ongoing way due to overcrowding and that is due to what we call bed-block.”
Dr Clayden said some people were waiting “many hours” for a hospital bed.
“Much longer than what we would consider safe for some of the people attending with urgent health needs,” she said.
“It is heartbreaking for emergency staff, and it is very demoralising when people are waiting far longer than anyone would consider acceptable.
“But what is worse is some patients are choosing not to wait and so they are actually leaving without an assessment and that certainly poses risk.”
The report showed 48 per cent of ED presentations were seen within the recommended time frame. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)
System ‘working well’
The non-urgent rate was 82 per cent, semi-urgent was 49 per cent, while the emergency rate was 69 per cent and resuscitation rate 99 per cent.
Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said WA’s performance in the most critical triage categories showed the system was working well.
WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said WA fared well in the most critical triage categories, showing the system was working well. (ABC News: Daryna Zadvirna)
She also pointed out WA performed better than the national average for elective surgery wait times in 2023/24.
“What the report shows is that in genuine emergencies … Western Australia is one of the best performing emergency departments,” Ms Sanderson said.
“We’ve added more than 800 beds onto the system in the last four years, and we’ve increased the workforce by 30 per cent.
“We have a plan [for] more beds, more workers and alternatives to the emergency department.
“We have 600 beds planned to roll out in the next term of government that are already budgeted for.”
Labor is promisng more hospital beds and workers, and alternatives to the emergency department if it’s re-elected in March. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Lack of bulk-billing GPs
Ms Sanderson linked the issue of ED wait times to WA’s lack of GP availability and bulk-billing doctors, shortages which were also laid bare in the Productivity Commission report.
“We are working to fix the access issues in our system,” she said.
“We need a lot more access to bulk billing GPs, we need a lot more access to out of hours bulk billing GPs and we need more aged care beds.”
Healthcare system on ‘life support’
Liberal leader Libby Mettam said the results were not good enough.
“We have lived through the biggest boom in WA’s history; it shouldn’t feel like our healthcare system is on life support,” she said.
“Roger Cook can’t keep blaming others for his failure — he has been premier or health minister for most of the past decade.”
Libby Mettam says the Liberals will make WA the most attractive place in the country to be a nurse. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
In a bid to combat low nursing rates, the Liberals promised to introduce a $20,000 incentive to study nursing and work in public hospitals if elected on March 8.
The scheme would pay 2,000 nursing students an allowance of $12,500 during their degree and a further $7,500 after two years working in the public system.
“We are talking about Western Australia becoming the most attractive state in the country to be a nurse,” Ms Mettam said.
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