Hospital ramping has eased in South West Sydney Local Health District according to the latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly results.
One of the key indicators of hospital ramping is the proportion of patients transferred from paramedics to ED staff within 30 minutes – also known as Transfer of Care (TOC).
SWSLHD saw a 5.7 percentage point improvement in transfer of patient from paramedic to ED staff in the December 2024 quarter.
Additionally, Campbelltown Hospital saw an improvement of 9.3 percentage points over the same period, whilst the hospital was under significant pressure.
It comes as the Minns Labor Government has invested half a billion dollars into ED relief, which includes:
• $189 million in tax relief to incentivise GPs to maintain bulk-billing rates, meaning people with non-life-threatening conditions don’t need to present to the ED;
• $171.4 million to expand statewide virtual care services helping 180,000 avoid a trip to the ED;
• $100 million to back in our urgent care services to become a mainstay and key instrument of the health system in providing a pathway to care outside of our hospitals for an estimated 114,000 patients;
• $70 million to expand emergency department short stay units to improve patient flow to reduce ED wait times by nearly 80,000 hours;
• $15.1 million for an Ambulance Matrix that provides real time hospital data to enable paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reducing wait times;
• $31.4 million to increase Hospital in the Home across the state allowing over 3,500 additional patients each year to be cared for in their home rather than a hospital bed
• $53.9 million to improve patient flow and support discharge planning by identified patients early on that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place.
Health Minister Ryan Park thanked health workers and reiterated that people with non-life threatening conditions could continue to expect long wait times in hospital, encouraging them to phone HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 instead.
Member for Campbelltown, Greg Warren MP said:
“I am so pleased to see that there is progress in our efforts to reduce ramping, but I acknowledge that these is still more work to do.”
“Thank you to all of our healthcare workers who are on the front lines, supporting our community.”
“I do want to reiterate that people who present to hospitals with non-life-threatening conditions can still expect to wait long periods in the ED.
“So if you do have a non-life-threatening condition, I strongly encourage you to phone HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 where you can avoid an unnecessary wait in the ED, and receive care outside of the hospital including through urgent or virtual care services.”
