Warrnambool ED overhaul as wait times hover at record highs

The latest statistics from the Victorian Agency for Health Information revealed wait times at the hospital were among the highest in regional Victoria from October to December 2022.

The Standard reported in November that one in every 10 Warrnambool patients was waiting more than three hours to see a doctor. The new data showed this figure had moved even higher, to an average wait time of 190 minutes for the longest-waiting patients, 60 per cent above the state average.

Warrnambool also passed Ballarat to sit second-highest among regional hospitals, with only Geelong Hospital recording longer wait times in that category.

The median wait time for all patients improved slightly, from 35 minutes down to 34, but it was still 70 per cent higher than the state average and the fourth worst outside Melbourne.

The figures showed only one in two patients at WBH were seen by a doctor within the recommended time frame, a statistic virtually unchanged from the previous quarter and 15 per cent worse than the state average.

While the data showed Warrnambool's ED remained under enormous pressure, The Standard understands wait times may have started easing since the new year, especially as newly hired international doctors have expanded the clinical team.

South West Healthcare launched a major overhaul of its emergency department processes in December, creating the new senior position of emergency department operations manager for former COVID coordinator Sue Anderton.

Ms Anderton will have a broad remit to change "systems and processes" in the ED in a bid to bring wait times down as well as planning for the transition to a brand new building by 2027.

"We are committed to reducing wait times for people to be seen but also for people to be treated and either discharged home or transferred to a ward bed more quickly," Ms Anderton said.

SWH also introduced an online ED dashboard in December, which gives people real-time information about how busy the ED is. But SWH chief executive officer Craig Fraser said one of the key hopes for easing the stress on the Warrnambool ED was a newly launched virtual ED.

"Our new working relationship with the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) team has helped us improve capacity, with patients seen by an emergency nurse or doctor through the VVED in under 15 minutes," he said. "This virtual ED enables our doctors and nurses to effectively manage capacity of the hospital and prioritise life-threatening emergencies."

Mr Fraser said the VVED was a viable alternative for a large proportion of patients who would ordinarily come through the normal ED, and was faster and more convenient than attending in person. He said it was an important option when one of the main sources of pressure on the Warrnambool ED was people attending with non-urgent issues.

"A consistent issue for EDs across Victoria is people attending with non-emergency health concerns," he said.

"This is a timely reminder for the community to keep your local ED for emergencies only. If you don't think you're in an emergency situation, but you or someone you are caring for still needs advice from a health practitioner, you can use the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, make an appointment with a GP or visit your pharmacy for help with a variety of minor symptoms."