Goulburn Base Hospital emergency waiting times 'worst in nine years'

According to data published by the Bureau of Health Information, presentations and ambulance arrivals to the emergency department are at all-time highs, but response times have been slipping.

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Just 57 per cent of presentations to emergency start a treatment on time in the quarter ending June 2022, less than a per cent below the same time last year, but the lowest since a rate of 55pc in 2013.

Patients presenting at the emergency department who are back out the door within four hours is down seven per cent on the same time last year to an all-time low of 57pc, according to records going back to 2010.

Of nearly 1100 ambulance arrivals, about two thirds of patients were handed off by paramedics to emergency staff within 30 minutes, down 6.3pc on the same quarter last year and is also an all-time low.

Many of these metrics have seen the Base Hospital become the lowest performing in the Southern Local Health District and slipping behind the averages in comparable regional hospitals.

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Staff have also been under pressure with stay times for admitted patients climbing about 20 per cent to 6.5 days on average, while the total number of bed days for the quarter had also grown by almost 14pc with almost 10,000 patients needing overnight care.

However, the hospital has been able to buck the trend in elective surgeries with more than 80pc completed on schedule, beating the peer group average by two per cent.

Waiting times for non-urgent surgeries, have climbed, but urgent surgeries have seen a reduction in wait-time.

A Southern NSW Local Health District spokesperson said patients at Goulburn Base Hospital continued to receive "high quality care" over the reporting period, despite a spike in more complex presentations and staff furloughed due to COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses.

"In emergency departments patients are always triaged and seen according to the clinical urgency of their condition," she said.

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"During very busy times, those with less urgent conditions will experience longer wait times when there are large numbers of seriously unwell patients being prioritised for emergency care."

The Health District said the flu season's early arrival increased activity at facilities and contributed to "significant" staff unavailability. Staff were also exposed to COVID-19 and colds.

Chief executive Margaret Bennett said the District worked hard to maintain surgical and emergency department services despite these challenges.

"Our teams maintained timely, high-quality services even as many staff were off sick or caring for sick family members," Ms Bennett said.

"I want to thank our staff for their diligent preparation for the busy winter season. Our winter planning ensured we could respond early and effectively as activity and sick leave increased in late autumn."

Asked what strategies were in place to reduce emergency waiting times, the spokesperson pointed to the state government's "record" $33 billion investment in health in 2022/23, including an additional 10,148 full time equivalent staff over four years. It is not clear how many of these Goulburn will receive.

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The Health District has also encouraged people with non-life threatening illnesses or injury to visit their GP or call Healthdirect Australia on 1800 022 222.

A recent Goulburn rally in support of nurse to patient ratios heard that some patients had been transferred to Crookwell Hospital for treatment. This was despite completion of a new $150m hospital at Goulburn.

The Health District spokesperson said facilities operated as part of an integrated system that allowed patients to be safely transported to other hospitals, where appropriate, to provide care.

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