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Emergency department short-stay units will be expanded at six hospitals in Sydney and regional NSW, under a $130 million state government plan to help ease overcrowding and shorten wait times.
An extra 22 spaces for patients requiring short-term observation and quick treatment will be delivered at emergency wards at St George, Campbelltown, Nepean, Maitland, John Hunter and Wyong hospitals in the next 12 months. Up to eight more spots will be added the following year.
Premier Chris Minns said the extra spaces were intended to ease stress on some of the state’s busiest emergency departments, which were experiencing “constant and sustained pressure”.
“We know we’ve had some success with these units across the state including the ones we expanded at Campbelltown, Maitland, Wyong and Wollongong hospitals,” he said.
“At hospitals which already have a short-stay unit in the emergency departments, we’re seeing patients with semi-urgent conditions treated and back home quicker without needing to be admitted to a traditional ward in most cases.”
The short-stay units provide dedicated spaces for patients who have been triaged and assessed by emergency department staff and require care, observation and treatment for between four and 24 hours.
Patients typically require help for semi-urgent conditions such as minor head injuries, allergic reactions, low-risk chest pain, asthma, minor infections or rehydration.
The units mean they remain under the care of emergency staff rather than being moved to a general ward, speeding up processing in the emergency room and keeping beds free for very sick patients.
NSW public hospitals had recorded more than half a million admissions to emergency department short-stay units since January 2024, the government said, underscoring their critical role in aiding patient flow, reducing pressure on emergency wards and providing timely access to care.
St George Hospital clinical nurse consultant Rochelle Cummins said the Kogarah facility’s existing short-stay unit of 12 beds and treatment chairs had helped to move more stable patients out of the emergency ward, freeing up acute beds and keeping them from being admitted to other wards.
“Generally, our short-stay unit is full, so any additional spaces are welcomed and would create capacity within our emergency department to move patients out of the ED and improve flow,” Cummins said.
The units offer tests and treatments and allied health support, such as physiotherapy.
Six emergency department short-stay spaces were recently added to 15 spots at Westmead Hospital. The hospital’s emergency department recorded the worst wait times in NSW, as one in 10 patients spent almost 22 hours in the ED, according to Bureau of Health Information data in June.
Health Minister Ryan Park said NSW emergency wards faced big challenges, particularly in fast-growing areas, and the extra spaces would provide more timely care.
“[Short-stay units] enhance emergency department capacity, streamline patient flow and improve patient experience,” Park said.
Sydney’s emergency services experienced one of their busiest winter days in early August, when 4100 ambulance callouts and almost 10,000 ED presentations were recorded. Western Sydney hospitals were among the hardest hit.
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