Western Sydney emergency departments are top performers
A record 720,564 people flooded the state’s emergency departments between July and September, according to the Bureau of Health Information (BHI) report released this week.
Despite immense pressure during this winter period, Western Sydney Local Health District emergency departments have been highlighted as NSW’s top performers.
Westmead and Blacktown hospitals recorded improvements in performance and Blacktown was the only hospital in the state to improve its four-hour performance by more than five percentage points, in spite of the massive increase in activity.
Blacktown Hospital’s emergency department also managed to discharge 100 per cent of non-admitted patients within four hours on one of the year’s busiest days.
Acting Blacktown Hospital general manager Jude Constable congratulated staff on their commitment to servicing our community.
“Blacktown Hospital’s emergency department is a busy place and we recognise the hard work of all our staff in providing excellent care for our patients,” said Jude.
The emergency department’s improved performance has been linked to Project RED.
“We recently introduced Project RED at Blacktown Hospital, which is a redesign project we have implemented to improve access to care and patient flow into our facilities and services. Project RED initiatives are making a real difference to patients,” said Jude.
To ensure our emergency departments can attend to patients with life-threatening conditions as quick as possible, we encourage community members with less urgent conditions to visit their GP in the first instance, who can assess and recommend if more specialised treatment is needed.
People can also phone healthdirect Australia (1800 022 222), a free telephone triage and advice line staffed by registered nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
