Minns Labor Government establishes taskforce to tackle emergency department wait times

Media Release from the NSW Minister for Health

MEDIA RELEASE | 6 December 2023

The NSW State government will establish a new taskforce to tackle emergency department (ED) wait times.

The ED Taskforce comes off the back of the success of the Surgical Care Taskforce – established on the Health Minister’s first day in office – which has seen overdue surgeries more than halved.

The ED Taskforce will comprise health workers and NSW Health officials, from across the state’s various local health districts and specialty networks, including from regional communities.

It will be tasked with identifying and implementing efficiencies, including:

  • initiatives to reduce unnecessary presentations

  • addressing bed block and improve patient flow

  • safely discharging patients more quickly

  • improving the experience of patients and staff in the ED

  • moving patients to parts of the system with more capacity, where clinically appropriate.

The Minister for Health Ryan Park has instructed NSW Health to draft terms of reference, appoint membership of the taskforce, and set a first meeting date.

It comes after the release of 2 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports and the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) quarterly results.

The 2 AIHW reports show that over 2022-23, NSW reported:

  • the highest number of ED presentations of any state or territory in Australia (3 million)

  • the highest proportion of presentations seen on time in Australia (74%)

  • the second-highest proportion of planned surgeries completed within clinically recommended timeframes (77.3%).

The latest BHI data for the September quarter shows:

  • a record number of triage 2 category (emergency) presentations (118,772)

  • a 61% reduction in the number of overdue surgeries compared to September 2022.

A significant factor in the record demand on hospitals is the proportion of cases that could be treated in primary or aged care settings.

Almost half of all presentations to EDs were either category 4 (such as sprained ankle, earache) or category 5 (such as small cuts or abrasions).

A further BHI report on patient experiences in small rural hospitals shows that 45% of patients felt they could have been treated by a general practitioner (GP) or other health professional.

This will remain a focus of the ED Taskforce.

The NSW Government is also embracing a suite of innovative initiatives to divert unnecessary presentations to hospitals and relieve pressure on GPs.

This includes:

  • rolling out 25 urgent care services across the state

  • empowering pharmacists to prescribe certain medications

  • increasing the use of virtual care

  • making it easier for doctors in regional health districts to work in both GP and hospital settings.

Sara Johnston