HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Health. Does the minister agree that emergency department delays causing ambulances to go on bypass or diversions are decreasing the availability of ambulances and putting lives at risk?

The Australian College of Emergency Medicine reports that access block and hospital overcrowding results in extended delays at the incident scene or increased transport times. Last week, on Monday 28 March, at Flinders Medical Centre, three ambulances were ramped at the same time. One ambulance had been waiting three hours, one had been waiting two hours and the third was only able to leave because the small child transported was left waiting in the emergency department with the child's mother.

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:45): Of course, one can always highlight a particular example and say that means the whole system is not working, but the reality is quite different to that. I am very pleased to report there has been an overall improvement in the average wait time in the emergency departments of South Australia's public hospitals. Figures from SA Health show the average wait time between being triaged and clinical treatment starting across all hospitals has improved from 50 minutes in 2007-08 to 45 minutes in 2009-10, and the year-to-date figures to the end of January show a further improvement so far to 41 minutes.

At the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department, which was the subject of attention recently, average wait times have improved from 39 minutes in 2007-08 down to 31 minutes for the year to date. The average wait time for treatment at the Royal Adelaide Hospital is, for the year to date, currently 43 minutes, and the average time patients spend at the emergency department receiving treatment at the Royal Adelaide, year to date, is 328 minutes, that is 5½ hours. There are times when some patients wait longer, and that is obviously not what we would want, but, of course, they are the odd exceptions.

The overall stats show that the number of patients going into our emergency departments is increasing, the average time they are waiting to be seen is reducing, and the average time they spend in the emergency department being seen before they are admitted or discharged is reducing. So, all the stats are heading in the right direction.

On Monday of last week at the hospital the member referred to, Flinders, it was especially busy, and there were a couple of occasions when there was a temporary diversion in that hospital. That happens in all hospitals from time to time; that is the nature of hospitals; that is the nature of an emergency department.

The overall trend lines—and that is what one should look at—show improvement. Despite the fact that there are more patients going to our emergency departments every year, we are doing better every year in delivering services to them. I pay enormous credit to the doctors and nurses and the others who work in our emergency departments day after day, year after year. It is a difficult job and they work under a great deal of pressure from time to time, but they are delivering an excellent service to the people of our state.