Wollongong Hospital is significantly improving wait times through innovative use of the Short Stay Unit in the emergency department (ED), almost tripling the use of these beds in the past 12 months.
ESSA (Emergency Short Stay Area) operates like a ward within the ED itself – one designed to provide a short period of ongoing treatment and observation of a patient’s condition, avoiding an unnecessary hospital stay.
Wollongong Hospital is prioritising patients needing treatment for moderately complex conditions through the ESSA, freeing up beds in the ED for more seriously unwell patients and enabling the earlier discharge of patients who don’t require admission to hospital.
In the month of January 2024, almost 770 patients were treated in Wollongong Hospital ESSA, compared with 282 patients treated in January 2023. Performance has further improved in March, with 831 patients managed though ESSA.
In the 3 months to December 2023, 43,216 people attended EDs across the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District and the number of ambulance arrivals was 12,532, which represents the second highest quarter on record.
Despite this increased demand, ED staff achieved some remarkable results, including a 27.5%-point improvement in the number of patients transferred from ambulances to the ED within 30 minutes at Wollongong Hospital, compared with the same quarter in 2022.
Health Minister Ryan Park said:
“These improvements have come about thanks to excellent collaboration of staff across ED, hospital wards, transit lounge, patient flow teams and multidisciplinary working groups.
“Together, they’ve implemented more robust analysis, better communication pathways and focused on the availability of transition-to-ward beds that better aligns with peak ambulance arrival times and maximised the efficacy of the short stay model of care within the ED.
“Collectively, these initiatives are having an impact.”
Member for Wollongong Paul Scully said:
“The innovations undertaken by frontline health staff at Wollongong Hospital to improve patient access to care is clearly working and I’m incredibly grateful for their efforts.
“The stronger focus on the use of the short stay area means people in our community are being seen and treated faster.”
