Only half of Westmead emergency patients start treatment on time
Westmead Hospital, one of Sydney's largest, has the longest ED wait times in Western Sydney, with just 49.1 per cent of patients starting treatment on time.
A man visiting Westmead's emergency department in August waited 23 hours on a hard chair with severe abdominal pain, only to leave without treatment. The hospital was so packed people sat on the floor and stood against walls.
Staff told him only three doctors were covering 144 patients. Health figures released this month show Westmead faces a real crisis: only 49.1 per cent of patients begin treatment on time, the lowest rate in Western Sydney.
The average wait has grown to six hours 30 minutes, nearly double the state average of three hours 49 minutes. The median time to be admitted or transferred jumped to 16 hours 35 minutes, up 81 minutes from last year.
Bed block is a key driver, with one in eight ED beds statewide blocked by patients waiting for aged care or NDIS placements.
- 49.1 percent
- Patients starting treatment on time
- 6 hours 30 minutes
- Westmead average wait
- 3 hours 49 minutes
- State average wait
- 3 doctors for 144 patients
- Doctors for patient count
Why it mattersIf you need emergency care in Western Sydney, you face much longer waits and risk treatment delays that could worsen serious conditions.
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