Some of the busiest emergency departments in Australia have seen significant reductions in hospital ramping, according to the latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly results.

One of the key indicators of hospital ramping is the proportion of patients transferred from paramedics to ED staff within 30 minutes – also known as Transfer of Care (TOC).

St George Hospital – which received over 82,000 ED attendances last year – saw a 25 percentage point improvement in transfer of patient from paramedic to ED staff in the December 2024 quarter compared with the same period the previous year.

Blacktown Hospital – which received over 67,000 ED attendances last year – saw a 23.2 percentage point improvement.

Campbelltown Hospital – which received over 92,000 ED attendances last year – saw a 9.3 percentage point improvement.

Liverpool Hospital – which received over 90,000 ED attendances last year – saw a 7.2 percentage point improvement.

These improvements come despite the health system recording the highest ever number of patients arriving to EDs by ambulance – almost 200,000 in a single quarter.

The Minns Labor Government has invested half a billion dollars into ED relief, which includes:

• $189 million in tax relief to incentivise GPs to maintain bulk-billing rates, meaning people with non-life-threatening conditions don’t need to present to the ED;
• $171.4 million to expand statewide virtual care services helping 180,000 avoid a trip to the ED;
• $100 million to back in our urgent care services to become a mainstay and key instrument of the health system in providing a pathway to care outside of our hospitals for an estimated 114,000 patients;
• $70 million to expand emergency department short stay units to improve patient flow to reduce ED wait times by nearly 80,000 hours;
• $15.1 million for an Ambulance Matrix that provides real time hospital data to enable paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reducing wait times;
• $31.4 million to increase Hospital in the Home across the state allowing over 3,500 additional patients each year to be cared for in their home rather than a hospital bed
• $53.9 million to improve patient flow and support discharge planning by identified patients early on that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place.

Quotes attributable to NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park:

“Relieving pressure on our emergency departments and ensuring people receive care in a timely manner have been top priorities of our government.

“Such significant challenges have been met with a significant half-a-billion dollar investment in ED relief.

“Today, I’m so pleased to see encouraging progress in our effort to reduce ramping.

“But I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves, because there is still much more to do.

“I do want to reiterate that people who present to hospitals with non-life-threatening conditions can still expect to wait long periods in the ED.

“So if you do have a non-life-threatening condition, I strongly encourage you to phone HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 where you can avoid an unnecessary wait in the ED, and receive care outside of the hospital including through urgent or virtual care services.”