The Bureau of Health Information’s Healthcare Quarterly report reveals the number of people leaving emergency departments before treatment is increasing across the state at an alarming rate.
The numbers show demand at Armidale, Inverell and Moree Hospitals has increased and more people are leaving emergency departments without treatment due to large wait times.
The numbers reflect the significant decline in staff availability, health services and funding in regional areas under the current state government.
This is hardly news to any of us, we have been pushing for better health outcomes for a long time but this data is cold, hard evidence of how under pressure our hospitals are.
Armidale Hospital has had a 67 per cent increase in people leaving emergency departments without treatment with a nearly three and a half hour wait time to see a doctor or nurse. At Inverell, more than seven per cent of people who present with a serious health concern are transferred to another hospital which then puts more pressure on that hospital.
Our nurses and health care workers carry the overwhelming burden of these numbers.
They are overworked and deserve better. Patients deserve a system which works and our nurses and health care staff deserve adequate support and resources to provide proper care.
If the government is serious about healthcare in regional NSW, there needs to be genuine investment and staff support to match the demand put on our hospitals.
Source: Northern Tablelands MP Northern Tablelands Weekly report
