The warning from the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) comes on the back of the latest figures from Bureau of Health Information (BHI) which show a statewide jump of 8.2 per cent in ED presentations from April to June, compared to the same quarter in 2018.
The figures also show that an extra 641 patients sought help at Auburn Hospital’s ED, with the biggest increases for patients triaged in the semi-urgent and urgent categories.
The overall number of patients admitted to Auburn Hospital from the ED was also up by nearly 14 per cent.
BHI chief executive Dr Diane Watson said emergency departments were once again busier than they were in the same quarter a year ago, “with more presentations overall and more patients arriving by ambulance”.
According to the BHI, the “timeliness of care provided” in EDs was down across key measures at state level, and that trend was also reflected at Auburn where patients waited on average an extra 23 minutes in the ED overall compared to the same period last year.
Patients at Auburn’s ED also waited longer for treatment, an extra 39 minutes for those triaged in the urgent category and an extra 29 minutes for semi-urgent cases.
NSWNMA assistant general secretary, Judith Kiejda, said the increased emergency department presentations and admissions to public hospitals, highlighted the growing risks to safe patient care and the urgent need for safe, transparent nurse-to-patient ratios.
“It’s no wonder our members, both metro and regional, are prepared to walk out or contemplate leaving the nursing or midwifery professions entirely,” she said.
“Clearly, our public hospital system is under enormous pressure.
“Our members are frustrated. They are fatigued. And they burning out at a rapid rate.”
Hospital deluged over patient rise
A SURGE in patient numbers at NSW hospital emergency departments (ED) is putting medical staff and patient care under increased pressure.