Emergency Department Wait Times & Surgery Waiting Lists Continue to Blow Out

Media release – Australian Medical Association, 6 December 2023

ED wait times and surgery waiting lists soar, new data shows

Data out today paints a grim picture of Australia’s public hospitals with nearly one in two patients spending more than the recommended time in emergency departments, while the planned surgery waiting list soars past 850,000 people.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) data is further proof that Australia’s public hospitals are struggling more than ever with an under-resourced system in logjam around the country.

The AIHW data shows 44 per cent of patients who presented to EDs spent more than four hours waiting and receiving treatment before either being admitted to hospital or being discharged in 2022–23, a five per cent increase compared to the previous year, and an 11 per cent increase compared to 2021–22.

It was worst in Tasmania, where almost four in five (78 per cent) patients spent more than four hours in EDs before being admitted to hospital. In NSW, it was 75 per cent.

Australian Medical Association President Professor Steve Robson said a lack of capacity in hospitals had led to people waiting years for essential surgery, long waits in EDs and ambulance ramping.

“Australia’s public hospital performance is at its worst since the AMA started tracking the data 20 years ago,” Professor Robson said.

“Public hospitals are inadequately funded and resourced. The outcome is ambulance ramping, patients spending far too long in EDs and a surgery waiting list that is nudging close to one million people.”

The AIHW data reveals a significant uptick in the number of people waiting for surgery. In 2022–23, 855,528 patients were on the surgery waiting list, compared with 787,715 in 2021–22.

“The number of people waiting more than a year for hip and knee replacement surgeries has quadrupled since 2018–19. It’s important to remember that behind each number are real people whose lives are being severely impacted by serious health conditions that require surgery,” Professor Robson said.

“We are seeing more and more Australians die waiting for these essential surgeries, with more than 12,000 deaths in 2022–23, up from 9,000 the year before. While these deaths may not have been because of delayed surgery, it is an alarming increase.”

Professor Robson said major reform to the National Hospital Funding Agreement was needed along with an urgent injection of funds to address immediate issues.

“The AMA continues to call for an immediate urgent injection of funds to address the current logjam and reform to the National Hospital Funding Agreement, including a 50–50 funding split between the states and territories and the federal government, and funding for performance,” he said.

Media release – Guy Barnett, Minister for Health, 6 December 2023

Record levels of elective surgery

Tasmania is delivering record levels of elective surgery at the highest rate in the country, according to a new report.

Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) Elective Surgery Wait Times 2022-23 Report reveals an unprecedented 21,364 elective surgeries were delivered in Tasmania in 2022-23 – a 5.2% increase on the previous year.

Tasmania also recorded a nation-leading 37.4 admissions per 1,000 population, significantly above the national rate of 28.3 per 1,000 population.

Importantly, Tasmania is the only Australian jurisdiction to register a net increase (+ 4.6%) in elective surgery admissions since 2018-19, reflecting the resilience and preparedness of Tasmania’s elective surgery plan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tasmania also saw improvement in the proportion of patients admitted within the clinically-recommended time from 2021-22 to 2022-23 – increasing from 57.2% to 61.7% – and across all other waiting times indicators.

Fewer than 1 in 10 people on the waiting list had waited longer than a year – equalling Victoria and nationally – and less than in NSW.

Notably, Tasmania had the best performance of all states and territories for paediatric surgery in 2022-23 across all three waiting time metrics. Waiting times were 29.5 days at the 50th percentile, compared to 57 days nationally.

Tasmanian hospitals recorded shorter-than-average waiting times for some surgeries compared to similar hospitals nationwide:

• The Royal Hobart Hospital had a median wait time 77 days shorter than peer hospitals for a total hip replacement and 187 days shorter for total knee replacement than peer hospitals.
• Launceston General Hospital patients waited 53 days less on average for cataract extraction than at its peers, and 117 days less for tonsillectomy.
• Patients at the North West Regional Hospital waited 16 days less for carpal tunnel surgery, and those at the Mersey Community Hospital waited 94 days less for cataract surgery, compared to the peer average.

Minister for Health Guy Barnett said the nation-leading figures are further evidence that the Rockliff Liberal Government’s $196.4 million Statewide Elective Surgery Four-Year Plan 2021‑2025 is continuing to deliver positive results for Tasmanians.

“Our clinician-led elective surgery plan continues to work, with record levels of surgery delivered in the last 12 months, and the length of wait time falling significantly”, Minister Barnett said.

“The wait list has now remained below 8000 patients since June 2023.

“I would like to thank our incredible doctors, nurses and health professionals for their hard work in delivering this plan and helping more Tasmanians get the care they need.

“We will continue to take action in the third year of our elective surgery plan, to ensure more Tasmanians receive their surgery sooner.”