Illawarra residents who call Triple-0 are waiting longer than ever for an ambulance to arrive, with people in Shellharbour and Kiama likely to be left waiting the longest in the region, according to a new Bureau of Health Information report.
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Almost two thirds of cases in this area, as well as in the Dapto-Port Kembla statistical area, were not seen to on time.
Across the region and NSW ambulance response times have spiked, with P1, or potentially life-threatening cases, waiting longer for ambulances to arrive than at any point since BHI began reporting in 2010.
One in ten "P1: Emergency" patients - which can include unconscious patients, people having an acute heart attack or choking - in Kiama-Shellharbour waited at least 33 minutes for an ambulance to arrive in January to March.
The median wait in the southern most part of the Illawarra was 16 minutes, while in Dapto-Port Kembla it took an average of 15 minutes for ambulances to arrive at the potentially life-threatening cases.
In the northern Illawarra - the Wollongong statistical area - the average wait for P1 cases was 14 minutes.
Across the region, it took an average of eight minutes for ambulances to arrive at the highest priority P1A cases.
The BHI data also shows just 36.7 per cent of ambulances called to P1 cases in the Shellharbour-Kiama area arrived within the 15 minute benchmark, whereas a year ago 47.4 per cent arrived on time.
In Dapto-Port Kembla 37.5 per cent arrived within 15 minutes, compared in 52.5 per cent in January to March 2021, and in Wollongong 45.9 per cent arrived within 15 minutes (down from 59 per cent a year ago).
Triple-zero calls in the region have spiked to the highest number since 2014, with more than 1000 more calls made in the Wollongong statistical area than this time a year ago.
Across the region there were 15,665 calls - nearly 2000 more than this time a year ago.
How long you could wait for an ambulance
Wollongong
- Median time to reach emergency cases: 14 minutes (up from 11 minutes)
- Emergency cases reached within 15 minutes: 45.9%
- Median time to reach urgent cases: 24 minutes
- 90 percentile wait time for emergency cases: 32 minutes
- 90 percentile wait time for urgent cases: 1 hour 24 minutes
Dapto-Port Kembla
- Median time to reach emergency cases: 15 minutes (up from 13 minutes)
- Emergency cases reached within 15 minutes: 37.5%
- Median time to reach urgent cases: 25 minutes
- 90 percentile wait time for emergency cases: 32 minutes
- 90 percentile wait time for urgent cases: 1 hour 20 minutes
Kiama Shellharbour
- Median time to reach emergency cases: 16 minutes (up from 13 minutes)
- Emergency cases reached within 15 minutes: 36.7%
- Median time to reach urgent cases: 25 minutes
- 90 percentile wait time for emergency cases: 33 minutes
- 90 percentile wait time for urgent cases: 1 hour 22 minutes
Source: Bureau of Health Information Quarterly Report January to March 2022
President of the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW) Chris Kastelan said paramedics were concerned by the record wait times across the state.
"NSW is failing to get to patients on time in an emergency," he said.
"Emergency response times will continue to blow out until our Government commits to holistic reforms to address the healthcare crisis.
"This year, fewer patients than ever received care within target timeframes. For Priority 1 cases, which are emergency incidents requiring a response under lights and sirens, just 37.7% of patients got an ambulance on time.
"Median response times for Priority 1 and Priority 2 cases were the longest on record, and we matched our previous worst performance for the highest priority P1A emergencies.
"Across the board, patients are waiting longer than ever for an ambulance, and our service is failing to deliver on its own benchmarks for appropriate response times."
The union has been calling for more investment in resourcing, and for a real wage rise to acknowledge Paramedics' work and keep experienced clinicians in the job.
Last week, Premier Dominic Perrottet announced $1.76 billion for NSW Ambulance to recruit 2,128 new staff and open 30 stations.
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