ED wait 12 hours for bed at RDH

PATIENTS at Royal Darwin Hospital are waiting about 12 hours in the emergency department for a bed to be available upstairs, leaked information shows.

Data obtained by the Sunday Territorian shows RDH was under “extreme pressure”.

On Wednesday last week the facility was operating at 120 per cent capacity.

One health professional, who asked not to be named, said it was “common” to see patients sitting in ED for 12 hours before a bed became available upstairs.

A Top End Health Service spokeswoman confirmed last week RDH experienced “another peak in demand for service” which meant long delays for patients.

“We acknowledge the distress that patients feel during these peak times,” she said.

“During this peak in demand, patients may have waited for services longer than normal.”

She said staff worked hard to ease pressure in the ED and moved on patients when it was “safe and acceptable” to do so.

“Patient safety is a priority and RDH continues to provide the best patient-centred care possible in these periods of high demand,” she said.

“Staff are working hard to ensure patients who need care are able to receive safe care.”

In March, the NT News revealed half of the patients visiting a Territory emergency department wait too long for medical attention, with just 57 per cent of patients seen on time – well below the national average of 72 per cent.

The figures, released in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s new Emergency Department Care 2017-18 report showed only 63 per cent of people visiting a Territory ER in an emergency situation were seen on time, and only 49 per cent of urgent cases were seen in an acceptable time frame

NT patients who needed to be admitted to hospital waited on average 17 hours and seven minutes, far longer than the national average of 11 hours and eight minutes.

The spokeswoman said people with non-emergency health needs should visit their GP or an after-hours clinic as soon as they felt unwell.

“Seeing a GP early can help prevent serious illness and ensure the hospital has capacity to care for those who most need hospital care,” she said.

In February last year, RDH postponed all elective surgeries after declaring a “code yellow” for the first time in its history.

Australian Medical Association NT president Dr Rob Parker said at the time, the facility was operating at 140 per cent capacity.

“Hospital overcrowding is directly associated with poor patient outcomes. The people of the Top End deserve better,” he said.