Patients languishing in emergency departments

[Pelican Press 0]

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Patients languishing in emergency departments

More than a quarter of Victorians seeking medical treatment in emergency departments are unlikely to be treated within recommended time frames.

The findings are disclosed in the Department of Health’s annual report, among 170 reports tabled in state parliament on Thursday.

It found category one patients, those who need resuscitation, were treated immediately.

However, just 71 per cent of those presenting to emergency departments were seen on time in the 12 months to June 30, 2024.

The state’s health system has come under ***** in 2024, with an expert review released in August describing it as no longer fit for purpose.

Victoria uses a triage system for its emergency departments which sorts patients into five categories.

Category two patients require treatment within 10 minutes, category three need treatment within 30 minutes, category four need care within one hour and category five patients within two hours.

The report reiterated the continuing issue of ambulance ramping, with just 65 per cent of patients handed over to hospitals within 40 minutes.

Department of Health secretary Euan Wallace said the introduction of 29 priority primary care centres had helped lift some of the burden of emergency departments.

The centres have treaded just over 360,000 patients who would have otherwise presented at their local hospital.

“The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) has also grown from strength to strength, helping ever more Victorians access the care they need remotely, reducing the need for hospital visits,” he wrote in the report.

“The VVED is now Victoria’s busiest ED of all.”

The health minister has been contact for a response.

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