Shoalhaven Hospital showed it is under continued pressure with only 46% patients having their treatment start on time and only 47% leaving within 4 hours.
At Wollongong Hospital, while 60% started their treatment on time, only 42% of patients left within 4 hours and some patients left waiting up to 17 hours.
The figures aren’t much better for those attending Shellharbour Hospital with only 50% starting their treatment on time and 52% leaving in 4 hours.
Bed block has shown to be a significant issue with more than 43% of Ambulances across the Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD waiting more than 30 minutes to transfer their patient to ED staff. This is the second worst result in NSW.
The Ambulance service is also under enormous strain. The number of calls for help in Wollongong was 6,438. Emergency cases are classified as priority 1 (P1) by NSW Ambulance and require an immediate response. In Wollongong, only 41% of P1 calls arrived within 15 minutes. With the longest response time being 34 minutes.
The number of patients needing elective surgery in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District remains high with more than 6,800 on the waiting list. Only 69% of patients underwent surgery on time compared to 75% the previous quarter. There are more than 1,000 patients who were left waiting longer than clinically recommended.
The Member for Keira and Shadow Minister for Health Ryan Park said these figures are the result of more than a decade of underfunding and under resourcing.
“These figures are proof we have a healthcare system that remains in crisis. Locally all three major hospitals in the Illawarra continue to show they are under resourced and struggling to cope with increased demand.
“These figures represent people who have needed medical attention and they have been left waiting far too long to get the help they needed.
“The Government’s recent announcement of a boost to the workforce will take years before we see the benefits, in the meantime there are people left in pain because of the Government’s mismanagement.
Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully said, “The latest quarterly statistics continue a trend of deteriorating emergency department performance at Wollongong Hospital with more patients attending, fewer starting treatment on time and fewer leaving Emergency within the recommended four hours.
“At 4 hours and 38 minutes, this quarter also records the longest median waiting time for patients at Wollongong Hospital’s emergency department since independent statistics were reported in 2015 and an almost doubling of median waiting time over the last seven years.
“Brad Hazzard and the Perrottet Government can no longer ignore the extreme pressures that are building on our local health services.”
Member for Shellharbour Anna Watson said, “These totally unacceptable waiting hours at Shellharbour Hospital, and more broadly across the Illawarra, clearly demonstrate that the construction of the new Shellharbour Hospital must be a priority. With population growing rapidly in our region, it’s essential that the Government do everything possible to get this critical infrastructure built as quickly as possible.”
