The NSW Government has reinforced its commitment to reducing pressure on NSW public hospital emergency departments, in its response to a parliamentary inquiry into ambulance ramping and access block.
Member for Campbelltown, Greg Warren said that there are patients who suffer because they are forced to wait when our emergency departments are overcrowded.
“These changes will help to reduce the pressure placed on emergency departments and make sure every patient is provided with sufficient care,” Mr Warren said.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said there was full or in-principle support for 10 of the inquiry’s 12 recommendations, after the NSW Government tabled its response to the report in parliament today.
The recommendations include:
- The provision of dedicated paramedic work zones, protected from the elements.
- The abolition of the public sector wages cap to ensure fair wages for healthcare staff and improved productivity and provision of services.
- Manage, support and monitor system-wide patient flow and performance.
Demand for health services in Campbelltown and in NSW has grown exponentially over the past few years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than three million patients presenting to NSW public hospitals each year.
Campbelltown hospital has seen emergency intakes increase by 3000 in the past three years, whilst funding for nurse and hospitals has remained insufficient to match this growth.
The NSW government has committed $175 million to recruit an additional 1200 nurses by 2027.
“The Minns Labor Government has set out a comprehensive suite of measures to rebuild our health system and it will begin by placing our health workers at the centre of that effort,” Mr Warren said.
1,112 nursing positions across NSW, including 109 positions in the Western Sydney region, have been left unfunded beyond the 2024-25 Financial Year by the former Liberal National Government. Of these 109 are in the Western Sydney Local Health District.
*The image above has been digtally altered
