Warrnambool emergency wait times drop again after hospital improvements

New data from the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) showed wait times were down across the board at the Warrnambool ED in the three months to June 2023.

The median wait time for patients was 22 minutes, down from 24 minutes in the first three months of the year and 34 minutes in the last quarter of 2022, which makes a 35 per cent drop in just six months.

The 90^th percentile wait time - meaning the 10 per cent of patients having to wait the longest in the ED - was down to 113 minutes from 137 minutes in the March quarter and 190 minutes in the December quarter of 2022.

While that December 2022 result was a cause for concern, with many patients contacting The Standard to share stories of waiting many hours in pain, the new figures show a huge 40.5 per cent reduction in the first six months of 2023.

South West Healthcare (SWH) chief executive officer Craig Fraser said a range of changes had contributed to the turnaround.

"We have taken a holistic approach to addressing ED waiting times by looking at improvements that can be made in the ED itself such as changes to models of care and multidisciplinary team huddles but also how we can make the most of community care options," Mr Fraser said.

"These initiatives include partnering with the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) to allow non-urgent patients the timely option to seek appropriate healthcare virtually. We have also restructured our ED team and provided them with professional development opportunities."

The hospital has managed to attract several new ED doctors, including overseas practitioners, but Mr Fraser said SWH was still actively recruiting to ensure ongoing 24-hour coverage.

Former COVID coordinator Sue Anderton has led the overhaul since becoming emergency department operations manager in December 2022. Mr Fraser said there had also been changes to improve access to other areas of the health service which may have helped take pressure off the ED.

"The ED team are working with Ambulance Victoria and a number of our internal teams (including allied health, medical and mental health) to help improve access to healthcare in a myriad of ways, which ultimately impacts the ED and demand on our health service in general," he said.

"This work is ongoing. We are excited to see improvements in our VAHI data across almost all indicators, and we are keen to ensure that these improvements continue."

Mr Fraser also said the new Priority Primary Care Centre in Fairy Street had been an important development for the local health system.

"The introduction of a local PPCC has been helpful for the community and has provided choice for people who need non-urgent on-the-day care, and our GP clinic has been offering Sunday appointments on a fortnightly basis to also help give the community greater access to 'after hours' care," he said.

Emergency wait times improved generally across the state in the first half of 2023 as the hospital system slowly recovers from the crippling COVID-19 period, but Warrnambool's improvements far outstripped the statewide average.

The VAHI figures also showed more patients are being treated within the recommended wait times, with 65.8 per cent treated on time compared with 62.2 in the March quarter, although this was still below the statewide average of 67.9 per cent and the 80 per cent target figure.

Presentations to the Warrnambool ED have been steady over the first half of 2023, suggesting the improved figures are primarily the result of the process changes SWH has made.

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