Hospital admissions in New South Wales (NSW) have reached unprecedented levels, with over 515,000 admitted patient episodes reported for the quarter spanning April to June 2025. This figure marks a significant increase and is accompanied by concerns from healthcare professionals regarding the transparency of critical data, according to the latest Healthcare Quarterly report released by the Bureau of Health Information.
The report reveals that nearly 65,000 elective surgeries were performed in NSW during this quarter, the highest number recorded since the bureau began its reporting in 2010. Despite this achievement, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has raised alarms over the presentation of data, claiming essential figures are being concealed. The president of AMA NSW, Kathryn Austin, expressed her frustration, highlighting that only 66.1 percent of non-urgent surgeries were conducted on time, a sharp decline from 82.4 percent during the same quarter in 2024.
Dr. Austin stated, “Hiding these results does not make the problem go away; it only undermines confidence in the system and makes it harder to drive necessary change.” The AMA’s findings indicate that one in ten patients spent longer than 13 hours and six minutes in emergency departments (EDs) within urban hospitals, a situation the association described as unacceptable.
In response, the Bureau of Health Information maintains that it applies consistent criteria of “objectivity, fairness, and meaningfulness” in highlighting key findings. A bureau spokesperson commented, “The decrease in the percentage of elective surgeries performed on time is a direct result of the large number of patients who had been overdue receiving their surgery during the quarter.” They noted that relevant surgery waiting time information remains accessible, including graphs illustrating waiting times and the percentage of surgeries completed on time.
### Government Efforts to Address High Demand
Health Minister Ryan Park acknowledged the ongoing high demand for hospital services, stating that the government is actively working to alleviate the pressure on healthcare facilities. “We’re investing in more staff, more hospitals, and more beds, more quickly, and we are seeing lower wait times and less ramping,” he said. Park attributed recent improvements to a recruitment drive of nearly 3,000 full-time health workers, as well as increased retention rates returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Emergency department attendances totaled 785,084, reflecting a slight decrease of 1.3 percent compared to the same quarter in 2024. Despite fewer patients with less-urgent conditions seeking care, there has been a surge in the number of patients presenting with serious health issues. Bureau acting chief executive Hilary Rowell confirmed this trend, stating, “Fewer patients with less-urgent conditions presented to EDs. However, there were record numbers of patients presenting with more serious conditions.”
The report also highlights that nearly 80 percent of patients arriving by ambulance were transferred to ED staff within 30 minutes, an improvement of 5.6 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024. This statistic underscores ongoing efforts to enhance the efficiency of emergency services, even as the healthcare system grapples with unprecedented demands.
As NSW hospitals face mounting challenges, the call for improved transparency and accountability in healthcare data remains a pressing issue. The complexities of managing record admissions and surgical backlogs continue to demand attention from both healthcare professionals and government officials.
