Despite the Health Minister’s promise in February last year to fix Emergency Department (ED) wait times by October 2021, 18 months on it appears things are only getting worse.

In the last week alone, Canberrans have been told to stay away from ED unless absolutely necessary and hardworking nurses and doctors are at breaking point.

Shadow Minister for Health Leanne Castley said the ACT had the worst ED wait times in the country well before the pandemic which has only exacerbated the failures in our health system.

“The nurses’ union has linked the current crisis to the ACT Labor-Greens government’s failure to do proper workforce planning that had ‘fallen off the wagon’ over the past two years,” Ms Castley said.

“In February last year, the Health Minister told the ABC that while Canberra ED wait times were the worst in the country, she would fix the problem within nine months.

“Her goal was to have 70 per cent of ED patients seen within the clinically recommended time of four hours by October 2021 which has clearly not eventuated.

“The most recent figures published revealing only 56.8 per cent of Canberrans are leaving ED within four hours (ACT Public Health Service Quarterly Performance Report Oct-Dec 2021.)

“Not only does Canberra continue to have the worst ED wait times in the country, but the Health Minister’s appalling report card includes:

• suspending elective surgeries;
• refusing to provide free flu vaccines like all states have;
• specialist clinics being closed on a daily basis and 25 senior nurses leaving the intensive care unit over a six month period;
• nurses being attacked and bullied with reviews into intensive care and cardiology,
• the government failing to meet new nurse to patient ratios, and
• staff morale at rock bottom with more than one in eight workers planning to leave the system in two years.”