NSW emergency departments are treating more patients on time and ambulances are getting back on the road faster, despite growing pressure from patients who are medically ready to leave hospital but are waiting for aged care or NDIS support.
The latest Bureau of Health Information quarterly data shows 68.7 per cent of patients were treated on time in the April to June quarter, up from 62.8 per cent four years ago, while timely transfers from ambulances to emergency departments improved from 72.5 per cent to 80.3 per cent over the same period.
But those improvements are being made against a growing challenge inside NSW hospitals: more than 1,300 patients who no longer need hospital treatment cannot leave because they are waiting for Commonwealth funded aged care or NDIS support.
That number increased by almost 300 in the past year and NSW Health estimates it could reach almost 1,700 by June 2027 if current trends continue.
For patients, that can mean spending weeks or months in hospital when they would be better cared for at home, in aged care or appropriate disability accommodation. For hospitals, it means fewer beds available for people coming through emergency departments who need them.
The scale of the challenge means the equivalent of one in every eight beds accessible from NSW emergency departments is currently occupied by someone who is medically ready to leave hospital but cannot - up from around one in ten a year ago.
Older people waiting for aged care account for much of the increase, rising almost 40 per cent in a year from 761 to 1,063 patients.
Bed block growing across Sydney
The impact of Commonwealth aged care and NDIS delays is being felt in some of Sydney's busiest hospitals.
The number of patients waiting for aged care or NDIS support in South Eastern Sydney increased from 68 to 157 in the year to June 2026.
At St George Hospital, the number increased from 17 to 64 - the largest increase and highest number of any hospital in NSW - while Prince of Wales increased from 20 to 47.
In South Western Sydney, the number increased from 118 to 180, including:
- Bankstown Hospital - 15 to 30
- Campbelltown Hospital - 37 to 54
- Liverpool Hospital - 22 to 52.
In Western Sydney, the number increased from 99 to 111, including:
- Blacktown Hospital - 17 to 22
- Westmead Hospital - 50 to 62.
In Sydney Local Health District, the number increased from 62 to 114, including:
- RPA - 11 to 29
- Canterbury Hospital - 8 to 25.
Aged Care Response Package
The NSW Government is investing $35.7 million into an Aged Care Response Package, to deliver much-needed relief for older people experiencing discharge delays.
The NSW Government is also working with the Commonwealth to expand services helping older people remain well and safely at home, reducing avoidable hospital presentations and admissions. These initiatives include:
- Expanding Aged Care Outreach Services to provide short-term multidisciplinary care in the home to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations
- Rolling out Virtual Specialist Geriatric Care which delivers specialist geriatric support to people aged 65 years and over at home, helping to avoid hospital admissions and supporting earlier discharge where appropriate
Hospital performance
Despite these challenges, the Bureau of Health Information has released quarterly data which shows there has been some improvements in emergency department performance and the number of people accessing care outside of the hospital.
The proportion of triage category two patients - people with life threatening conditions - being treated on time improved in the April to June 2026 quarter to 56.8 per cent compared to four years ago (51.6 per cent in 2022 under the former Liberal National Government), significantly improving in Western Sydney which increased from 25.1 per cent under the Liberals to 41 per cent.
Notable hospitals which have improved the proportion of triage category two patients treated on time compared to four years ago include:
- Westmead - 31.4 per cent under the Liberals to 39
- Blacktown - 10.6 per cent under the Liberals to 36.6
- Campbelltown - 42.2 per cent under the Liberals to 65.8
- Liverpool - 49.1 per cent under the Liberals to 65.8
- St George - 26.6 per cent under the Liberals to 38.3
- Nepean - 24.7 per cent under the Liberals to 33.7
- Mount Druitt - 17.5 per cent under the Liberals to 46.1
The overall proportion of patients being treated on time improved in the April to June 2026 quarter to 68.7 per cent compared to four years ago (62.8 per cent in 2022 under the Liberals), including in Western Sydney which improved from 40.3 per cent to 56.5 over the same time period.
Ramping has reduced in the April to June 2026 quarter with transfer of care from paramedics to the ED increasing to 80.3 per cent compared to four years ago (.5 per cent in 2022 under the Liberals).
This coincides with an increase in calls to Healthdirect to almost 560,000 in the year to 30 June 2026 (up from 527,000 the previous year). Over half of these were diverted to non-ED healthcare - 60.7 per cent of calls, up from 56.4 per cent - including referrals to local GPs, virtual health care, urgent care and other health professionals.
More hospitals, more beds, more staff, more services
This improvement in performance coincides with an increased uptake of alternative pathways to care outside of the hospital, including Healthdirect, the expansion of virtual care services across NSW with $124 million invested for urgent care services; over $500 million invested into ED relief; more beds and the recruitment of more health workers including over 900 nurses, 740 paramedics, 1,400 doctors and 1,500 allied health workers over the past three years.
We're investing $10.3 billion to help recruit an additional 9,000 health workers, deliver record pay rises for nurses and midwives, expand services, including 33,000 more ED presentations and an additional 2,900 planned surgeries per year, as well as $11.9 billion to deliver 32 new and upgraded hospitals and more than 2,500 additional beds and treatment spaces across the state, including over 800 in Western Sydney.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"The number of people waiting for aged care and NDIS placements stranded in NSW hospitals is growing at an unprecedented and unsustainable level.
"For the first time, NSW Health has confirmed that one in eight ED accessible beds in NSW public hospitals cannot be used as a result.
"Waiting indefinitely in a hospital is not good for patient mobility, recovery or quality of life.
"Despite these challenges, we are continuing to see progress in emergency department wait times which has coincided with a significant investment from the Minns Labor Government into ED relief - and I want to thank our health workers for their hard work and commitment to our health system."
