Overview
- NSW figures show 1,151 patients exceeded their discharge dates by 30 September, up from 747 a year earlier, with the sharpest rise among those awaiting aged care placements (443 to 829) and a smaller increase for NDIS-supported accommodation (304 to 322).
- BHI data for July to September report a median 3 hours 54 minutes from arrival to leaving emergency departments, the longest since 2010, and more than 73,000 departures before completing treatment, a winter-quarter record.
- Hospital hotspots include Westmead with 60 delayed-discharge patients, Wyong 48, Concord 45, and Liverpool and Campbelltown with 42 each, while Calvary Mater Newcastle and St George recorded the steepest percentage jumps year on year.
- Westmead posted the state’s longest ED waits with a 7 hours 11 minutes median and the worst on-time performance for 10-minute category patients, though some Western Sydney EDs recorded on-time gains over the past year.
- NSW Health Minister Ryan Park calls the situation unsustainable and blames shortages in federally funded aged care and NDIS placements, as health ministers meet Friday and Mark Butler signals support for a deal without confirming timing.