Hundreds of patients stuck in ACT emergency departments for over 24 hours

It shouldn't be happening in Australian hospitals at all, according to emergency physician Sam Scanlan.

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Each year, hundreds of sick and injured people are stuck in Canberra public emergency departments for more than 24-hours, usually due to a lack of available beds in hospital wards.

Australasian College of Emergency Medicine ACT branch chair Sam Scanlan. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

The majority of the patients are older people.

"Twenty-four hour stays should be a never, ever event," Dr Scanlan, ACT branch chair of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, said.

"Imagine what that would be like as an individual, let alone the family looking after that person."

Busy, noisy, emergency departments with bright lights aren't designed for patients to spend extended periods of time in, let alone elderly people waiting to be admitted.

The ACT has had some success in reducing the number of patients facing extended stays in its two public hospital emergency departments but Dr Scanlan said access block was a "national crisis level issue" in Australia. National action was needed, or the problem could worsen as the population continues to age.

A report by the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine has found that 608 patients spent more than 24-hours in ACT emergency departments during 2023-24. This included 293 older patients and 215 younger patients.

That was an improvement from 2018-19 when 1158 patients spend longer than 24 hours in the ED.

Dr Scanlan said a number of factors had contributed to the improved situation in the ACT, including a commitment by executives to taking a "whole of organisation approach" to improving access to inpatient beds.

"Our bed numbers have gone up by about 200 beds over that period of time," he said.

"We've seen investment in emergency departments with regards to capacity and that's a combination of both staffing and physical beds."

New health programs had enabled some older people to access the care they need without going to an emergency department.

The Canberra Hospital.

A major cause of bed or "access block" in hospitals is "exit block" where doctors believe a patient is ready to be discharged, but there is nowhere suitable for them to go.

"In this population group of older Australians, this is because of the lack of aged care facilities and aged care beds that are required,'' Dr Scanlan said.

The number of older people attending the ACT's two public emergency departments increased by 14 per cent between 2018-19 2024-24 to 32,000.

Nationally, more than 53,000 older people spent than 24-hours in emergency departments during 2023-24 - almost 40,000 more than in 2018-19.

The report defines older people as non-Indigenous people aged 65 years and over and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and over.

A Canberra Health Services spokesperson said a "system-wide approach" was improving patient flow in emergency departments.

"At Canberra Hospital, the Critical Services Building has significantly increased emergency department capacity, including dedicated facilities for paediatrics, mental health, and short-stay care," the spokesperson said.

"At North Canberra Hospital, continued improvements to patient flow and operational consistency are supporting better emergency department performance."

• Do you know more? Contact reporter Peter Jean peter.jean@canberratimes.com.au

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