WESTERN suburbs patients are waiting longer for elective surgery, having more operations cancelled and experiencing increasing delays in getting a bed in a ward, the latest state government data shows.
The Victorian Health Services Performance Report for the three months to last December shows 12,048 people were admitted for emergency care at Footscray, Williamstown and Sunshine hospitals — down marginally from 12,279 in the December 2010 quarter.
Ambulances were directed to other hospitals as Western Health’s two biggest hospitals at Sunshine and Footscray came under high loads — known as hospital bypass. This happened 3.8 per cent of the time at Footscray, up from 0.9 per cent, and 1.5 per cent at Sunshine, compared to 0.7 per cent. Both recent figures are higher than the state average of 1.4 per cent.
The two hospitals dipped in performance with patients who needed emergency care: 66per cent at Sunshine — down from 71per cent the previous year — and 70per cent at Footscray — down from 75per cent — were treated within the target time frames set by the state government.
The number of category two patients, those with severe pain, breathing difficulties and major fractures, treated within 10 minutes declined in the 12-month period.
It was a similar story for category three patients, those with symptoms such as blood loss, persistent vomiting and dehydration, who should be treated within 30 minutes.
All of the most critical patients requiring resuscitation or with life-threatening injuries are to be given immediate care — a target met at all Western Health sites.
Close to one in two patients at both hospitals waited longer than eight hours to get a bed after emergency care. The figures of 56per cent at Footscray and 57 per cent at Sunshine are down on the 63 and 67 per cent, respectively, the year before. Western Health also met its urgent elective surgery targets, but some non-urgent category patients still face lengthy waits.
In the December quarter last year, there were 3650 elective surgery patients on the Western Health waiting list, up from 3135 in the same period the previous year, an increase of 16 per cent. The number of elective surgeries cancelled at Sunshine, Footscray, Williamstown and Sunbury hospitals jumped from 407 in December 2010 to 528 a year later.
Western Health CEO Kathryn Cook said it serviced the fastest-growing population area in Australia and that was having a huge impact on the demand for health services.
‘‘Both Sunshine and Western Hospitals continue to experience a high demand for Emergency Department services,” she said.
Ms Cook said there had been a reduction in short-stay beds at Footscray and Sunshine hospitals because of building works which affected WH’s ability to treat patients in a timely manner.
“The works will ultimately enable Western Health to open more beds, taking the total number of beds at Sunshine Hospital from six to 12, open from the end of May,and at Western Hospital from eight to 12, open from the end of June,improving patient flow through the emergency departments.’’
‘‘This extra capacity will assist in dealing with the expected further increase in the number of presentations due to seasonal fluctuations.”
