EDs miss triage times as hospitals buckle
Annette KING
Health Spokesperson
11 August 2013
MEDIA STATEMENT
EDs miss triage times as hospitals buckle under financial pressure
Few
hospitals are meeting Government benchmarks for emergency
department treatment, with rising numbers of urgent cases
not being seen by a doctor within recommended times, says
Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette
King.
Details, obtained by Labour under the
Official Information Act, show that in many regions less
than half the target numbers of triage 2 and 3 patients are
being seen within the Government’s own recommended
timeframes.
“That’s thousands of patients with
potentially serious health issues having to wait longer than
they should.
“In the case of Triage 2 patients
– those with serious head injury, moderately severe trauma
and suspected heart attacks – it is expected 80 per cent
should be seen within 10 minutes.
“In the 12
months to May this year, 10 district health boards did not
meet that benchmark, with Hutt Valley and Waikato DHBs and
Rotorua Hospital falling well outside the acceptable time,
at 38 per cent, 46.14 per cent and 48 per cent
respectively.
“Triage 3 - where 75 per cent of
patients, with conditions which need urgent management,
including fractures, breathlessness and bleeding, are
supposed to be seen within 30 minutes – is just as bad, if
not worse, with hospitals in just five DHB regions meeting
target waiting times.”
Mrs King said New Zealand
hospitals used the Australian Triage scale to assess
patients because, as Tony Ryall himself said when National
was in Opposition, it is “a key measure of performance”
for hospitals.
“Ironically Mr Ryall dumped
public reporting of triage times three years ago with little
fanfare, although the information is still required by the
Ministry of Health. Data is now only released if requested
under the Official Information Act.
“Accident and
Emergency departments are the go-to for many people when
demand is not met elsewhere, or when the cost of going
elsewhere becomes prohibitive. It’s a symptom of pressure
within the health system.
“The six-hour target is
agreed in principal by many health professionals, but not at
the expense of the patients and the effective operation of
the rest of the hospital.
“We know health boards
are being forced to spread the money they receive more
thinly to meet Mr Ryall’s cost-cutting directives. This is
just one result of that.”
ENDS