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❓ A Western Australian parliamentary question on notice requests information on public hospital bed occupancy rates, including instances exceeding 100% and management strategies. The Minister for Health provides detailed occupancy data, days exceeding capacity, and outlines procedures for managing high bed occupancy.

AnsweredQoN 428Legislative Assembly

Asked

13 September 2005

Member

Mr M.J. Birney

Portfolio

Health

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Will the Minister provide a list of all public Hospitals and their respective average bed occupancy rates for the last financial year?
(2) Will the Minister advise the number of days of the year that each public Hospital exceeded 100 percent bed occupancy rates for the last financial year?
(3) What arrangements are made in these circumstances when the bed occupancy rate exceeds 100 percent?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

12 October 2005

Responded by

Minister for Health

Response time

29 days

(1) The average bed occupancy for each hospital is provided below excluding Nursing Home Type Patients (NHTP) for those hospitals who have NHTP occupying State funded acute care beds. These figures are for acute care multi-day patients only and exclude same day surgery, dialysis or chemotherapy patients. WA Country Health Service Albany - 79% Beverley - 16% Boddington - 15% Broome - 60% Bruce Rock - 25% Carnarvon - 69% Corrigin - 8% Cunderdin - 15% Dalwallinu - 25% Denmark - 57% Derby - 46% Dumbleyung - 0% Esperance - 51% Exmouth - 29% Fitzroy Crossing - 71% Geraldton - 48% Gnowangerup - 35% Goomalling - 39% Halls Creek - 50% Kalgoorlie - 72% Katanning - 38% Kellerberrin - 29% Kojonup - 24% Kondinin - 22% Kununoppin - 30% Kununurra - 61% Lake Grace - 31% Laverton - 55% Leonora - 29% Meekatharra - 26% Merredin - 27% Moora - 33% Morawa - 13% Mullewa - 6% Narembeen - 30% Narrogin - 44% Newman - 58% Nickol Bay (Karratha) - 76% Norseman - 42% North Midlands (Three Springs) - 16% Northam - 50% Northampton - 25% Onslow - 18% Paraburdoo - 0% Plantagenet - 52% Port Hedland - 66% Quairading - 12% Ravensthorpe - 35% Roebourne - 31% Southern Cross - 12% Tom Price - 23% Wagin - 15% Wickham - 0% Wongan Hills - 22% Wyalkatchem - 41% Wyndham - 34% York - 40% South West Area Health Service Bunbury - 75% Augusta - 24% Boyup Brook - 13% Bridgetown - 16% Busselton Hospital - 20% Collie - 19% Donnybrook - 12% Harvey - 26% Margaret River - 33% Nannup - 14% Pemberton - 13% Warren - 15% Yarloop - 2% South Metropolitan Area Health Service Fremantle Hospital - 91% Bentley Health Service - 67% Armadale/Kelmscott Health Service - 83% Rockingham/Kwinana Health Service - 72% North Metropolitan Area Health Service Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital - 91% Osborne Park Hospital - 91% Graylands Hospital and Selby Lodge - 93% Royal Perth Hospital - 91% Shenton Park Campus - 85% Swan Health Service - 78% Kalamunda Hospital - 66% Women's and Children's Health Service Princess Margaret Hospital - 74% King Edward Memorial Hospital - 79% (2) Fremantle Hospital 15 days (prior to Kaleeya being open) Armadale Hospital 8 days Rockingham Hospital 4 days SCGH 7 days Kalamunda Hospital 2 days (3) On occasions when bed occupancy exceeded 100 percent as described in answer (2), a range of strategies are in place to manage the situation and ensure quality patient care at all times. An excess of 100 percent bed occupancy occurs when more patients are admitted than discharged or transferred to other facilities and for which there is no immediate access to a bed. Bed managers actively monitor emergency department demand and admission requests on a daily basis. When high inpatient bed pressure is forecast, bed allocations are reviewed, and multidisciplinary teams are mobilised to facilitate the discharge of clinically appropriate patients either home, or to the most appropriate care setting. Discharge planning for patients is ongoing (increased in winter months to accommodate peak demand). This ensures that the patients length of stay is appropriate for the condition being treated, and less acute management can be undertaken in an alternative setting. Transit Lounges (or observation units) may be used for patients awaiting admission in addition to patients awaiting discharge. Observation beds are utilised in the short term when accommodation beds are at peak demand. Tertiary hospitals have ongoing multidisciplinary committees that review initiatives to improve bed use efficiencies in an effort to avoid bed occupancies exceeding 100%.

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