ACT public hospital emergency departments have some of the longest waiting times in the country, according to new national figures.
The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services has revealed that 61.8 per cent of ACT patients were seen within the recommended timeframe of four hours.
The only jurisdiction to have longer waiting times was the Northern Territory, and the ACT was well short of the 75 per cent benchmark achieved nationally.
Health Minister Simon Corbell said despite the poor figures, waiting times have improved.
“The number of people being seen on time (is) now up to 61.8 per cent, from 57.3 per cent the year before,” he said.
“So (there’s) ongoing improvement within the emergency department, with more beds to be funded by the Government in the coming 12 months as part of a major refurbishment of the ED.”
The report also revealed the ACT had the lowest rate of patient satisfaction in the country.
About a quarter of patients felt like doctors were not listening or spending enough time with them, and more than 20 per cent felt like they were not always shown respect.
Mr Corbell said the low level of patient satisfaction stemmed from high levels of demand.
“This shows that our emergency departments and elective surgery areas are very busy,” he said.
“Doctors and nurses are having to work hard and go through many occasions of care.
“But what we also see is excellent outcomes from that care, with the lowest level of readmission of any state or territory in the country.”
The national report revealed the ACT had the highest proportion of overweight people in the country, at nearly 38 per cent of the population.
Canberra also recorded the lowest levels of bulk billing, and the highest proportion of people deferring treatments due to cost.