Latest Bureau of Health Information data paints a bleak picture of the mounting strain on the NSW public health system.

BHI data for January to March 2022 showed that patients waited longer for ambulance transfers, for treatment in ED, and to be admitted to a ward, despite fewer attendances overall than the same quarter in 2019.

NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary, Shaye Candish, said as the Omicron variant ran rampant in the community, patients requiring triage category 2 “emergency” care waited longer for ED treatment compared to any January to March quarter on record.

“The latest hospital data reinforces what we were hearing from members at the time about the incredible pressure they were working under, not long after the NSW Government took their “let it rip” approach in mid-December,” Shaye said.

“Members tell us that pressure and the strain on the health system continues today, with the winter peak well and truly upon us.

“According to the BHI, barely a quarter (25.8%) of patients who were treated and admitted to hospital spent less than the benchmark of four hours in the ED. Alarmingly, one in 10 of them spent upwards of 18 hours and 29 minutes in ED.

“How can the NSW Government continue to call this ‘world class’ care?

“Our state desperately needs a transparent nurse-to-patient ratios system to improve staffing, reduce workloads and help manage the ongoing demand.”