Westmead Hospital's emergency wait times among the longest in Western Sydney

A harrowing experience at Westmead Hospital's emergency department has left a patient shaken, highlighting concerns about the facility's lengthy wait times. Adnaan, who wishes to be identified only by his first name, spent 23 hours waiting on a hard chair for treatment.

Adnaan's ordeal began when he was struck by intense abdominal pain and shortness of breath while at work. Despite his condition, he was confronted with a chaotic scene at the hospital, describing it as a "scary" and "zombie apocalypse-like" environment. "It just felt like a zombie apocalypse," he recalled. "It was pretty much full, all the seats were taken, people were on the floor, some people were standing."

Adnaan waited nearly 24 hours for treatment, during which time he was informed that his kidney was slightly ruptured. He claimed that hospital staff told him there were only three doctors available to treat 144 patients, and that no beds were available. "They said to me very clearly that we do not have anything available right now … we've got no beds," he said.

Westmead's wait times worst in Western Sydney

Recent health figures show that Westmead Hospital has the longest emergency department wait times in Western Sydney. Only 49.1 per cent of patients receive treatment on time, the lowest rate in the region. The average wait time is six hours and 30 minutes, significantly longer than the state average of three hours and 49 minutes.

The median time for patients admitted or transferred was 16 hours and 35 minutes, an increase of 81 minutes from the previous year. Dr. Fred Betros, president of the NSW Australian Medical Association, attributed the delays to unprecedented pressure on emergency departments, with a record 395,000 ambulance responses statewide in the last quarter.

"They bypass the front door, they go straight into places like our resuscitation bays," Dr. Betros said. "The people out front with less urgent but still serious conditions … just wait longer."

Health district apologizes, cites rising demand

Western Sydney Local Health District, which operates Westmead Hospital, acknowledged that the hospital is a major tertiary and quaternary referral centre, seeing a higher volume of complex and critically unwell patients. A district spokesperson apologized to patients and their families for the distress caused by long wait times.

The district confirmed that they had reached out to Adnaan directly to apologize for his experience. NSW Health Minister Ryan Park acknowledged that the wait times were "not good enough" and pointed to bed block as a key driver of the delays.

"This is not a buck-passing exercise, it's just the reality of an acute hospital," Minister Park said. He also personally called Adnaan to apologize for his experience.

Government response

The government has committed $35.7 million to an Aged Care Response Package and $38 million specifically to Westmead for more beds, staff, and services. However, the opposition argues that the government has not delivered on its promises.

"They keep talking about additional beds but they haven't delivered any of them," NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said.

The federal government has pushed back, citing a January funding deal that delivered an extra $25 billion in hospital funding nationally, including $6.5 billion to NSW over five years.

A key voting issue

Dr. Betros warned that hospital wait times will become a key election issue, with Western Sydney being one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. "Goodwill's only going to go so far," he said. "The people of Western Sydney … actually deserve better health care."

Adnaan's experience has left him reevaluating his priorities, including his vote. "I feel like if we can't even fix something as simple as the hospital system, then a lot of people will lose their lives," he said.