❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding patient numbers, staffing levels, and bed occupancy rates at the Bunbury Hospital's Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, and High Dependency Unit for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15. The response reveals some data limitations and changes in data collection methods.
AnsweredQoN 3132Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) For each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, how many patients were treated at the expanded Bunbury Emergency Department (ED)? (2) For each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, how many patients were treated at the Bunbury Intensive Care Unit (ICU)? (3) For each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, how many patients were treated at the Bunbury High Dependency Unit (HDU)? (4) For each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, how many doctors, by headcount and FTE, worked in each the Bunbury ICU, Bunbury HDU and Bunbury ED? (5) For each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, how many nurses, by headcount and FTE, worked in each the Bunbury ICU, Bunbury HDU and Bunbury ED? (6) How many doctors and nurses, by headcount and FTE, are rostered on during a shift in each the Bunbury ICU, Bunbury HDU and Bunbury ED? (7) For each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, what was the bed occupancy rate in each the Bunbury ICU, Bunbury HDU and Bunbury ED?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
11 August 2015
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary representing the Minister for Health
Response time
96 days
(1) 38,380 in 2013/14 and 33,293 in 2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015).
(2) 50 in 2013/14 and 56 in 2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015).
(3) 350 in 2013/14 and 288 in 2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015).
(4-5) Doctors are rostered and work across both the ICU and HDU.
During a shift ED doctors work exclusively in the ED.
Nursing staff work across ICU/HDU, ED and short stay unit dependent upon the patient occupancy and care requirements within each of the areas.
Doctors
2013/14
ICU/HDU - Headcount 11; FTE 8.3
ED - Headcount 67; FTE 41.2
2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015)
ICU/HDU - Headcount 11; FTE 8.2
ED - Headcount 63; FTE 38.3
Nurses
2013/14
ICU - Headcount 75; FTE 12.0
HDU - Headcount 74; FTE 13.9
ED - Headcount 148; FTE 44 (this includes the short stay unit which came into operation from December 2013).
2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015)
ICU - Headcount 82; FTE 13.1
HDU - Headcount 83; FTE 14.5
ED - Headcount 177; FTE 54.8 (this includes the short stay unit which came into operation from December 2013).
Note that in relation to nurses, the fact that nursing staff work across ICU/HDU, ED and short stay unit can mean that one person may be recorded as working across three departments over one shift. This will influence the headcount, increasing it relative to the FTE. For example, the 2014/15 ICU nurse headcount is 82 and these are all held against the 13.1 FTE; however these 82 are also incorporated into the 177 headcount for ED.
(6) WA Country Health Service (WACHS) is unable to answer the question stated as both doctors and nurses have variable rostered hours for each shift, i.e. shifts of 12, 8, 6 and 5 hours may overlap on the same day and shift.
In addition, staff are moved between the HDU/ICU and the ED within a shift depending on the acuity of patients and activity levels in both units.
The following table represents the headcount and FTE for doctors and nurses in the ED and HDU/ICU for a 24 hour period of 0700hrs 30 April to 0700hrs 1 May 2015.
Unit & Discipline
Headcount
FTE*
ED
Doctors^
18
22.3
Nurses
31
32.6
HDU/ICU
Doctors^
5
5.6
Nurses
12
15.2
*FTE is represented by productive hours
^FTE and headcount excludes non clinical hours worked
(7) Occupancy for the HDU and ICU is represented by bed day count.
The bed day count in the table below represents occupancy of both the HDU and the ICU beds.
It is not possible to separate the categories of patients with any level o
f validity the current recording systems.
Year
HDU/ICU bed days*
ED presentations**
2013/14
2277
38,380
2014/15 ***
1084
33,293
*Data Source:
Bunbury
Hospital
Intensive Care tracker.
**Data Source: WA Country Health Service (WACHS) online pivots for Emergency Department presentations and multiday bed days. Emergency Department activity is recorded as presentations; there is no measurement for bed occupancy or bed days.
*** The data provided in this response refers to presentations for the period up to 5 December 2014 for the 2014-15 financial year. This information is now captured by WebPAS. WACHS is unable to draw the report at this stage while awaiting WebPAS updates.
(2) 50 in 2013/14 and 56 in 2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015).
(3) 350 in 2013/14 and 288 in 2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015).
(4-5) Doctors are rostered and work across both the ICU and HDU.
During a shift ED doctors work exclusively in the ED.
Nursing staff work across ICU/HDU, ED and short stay unit dependent upon the patient occupancy and care requirements within each of the areas.
Doctors
2013/14
ICU/HDU - Headcount 11; FTE 8.3
ED - Headcount 67; FTE 41.2
2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015)
ICU/HDU - Headcount 11; FTE 8.2
ED - Headcount 63; FTE 38.3
Nurses
2013/14
ICU - Headcount 75; FTE 12.0
HDU - Headcount 74; FTE 13.9
ED - Headcount 148; FTE 44 (this includes the short stay unit which came into operation from December 2013).
2014/15 (as at 30 April 2015)
ICU - Headcount 82; FTE 13.1
HDU - Headcount 83; FTE 14.5
ED - Headcount 177; FTE 54.8 (this includes the short stay unit which came into operation from December 2013).
Note that in relation to nurses, the fact that nursing staff work across ICU/HDU, ED and short stay unit can mean that one person may be recorded as working across three departments over one shift. This will influence the headcount, increasing it relative to the FTE. For example, the 2014/15 ICU nurse headcount is 82 and these are all held against the 13.1 FTE; however these 82 are also incorporated into the 177 headcount for ED.
(6) WA Country Health Service (WACHS) is unable to answer the question stated as both doctors and nurses have variable rostered hours for each shift, i.e. shifts of 12, 8, 6 and 5 hours may overlap on the same day and shift.
In addition, staff are moved between the HDU/ICU and the ED within a shift depending on the acuity of patients and activity levels in both units.
The following table represents the headcount and FTE for doctors and nurses in the ED and HDU/ICU for a 24 hour period of 0700hrs 30 April to 0700hrs 1 May 2015.
Unit & Discipline
Headcount
FTE*
ED
Doctors^
18
22.3
Nurses
31
32.6
HDU/ICU
Doctors^
5
5.6
Nurses
12
15.2
*FTE is represented by productive hours
^FTE and headcount excludes non clinical hours worked
(7) Occupancy for the HDU and ICU is represented by bed day count.
The bed day count in the table below represents occupancy of both the HDU and the ICU beds.
It is not possible to separate the categories of patients with any level o
f validity the current recording systems.
Year
HDU/ICU bed days*
ED presentations**
2013/14
2277
38,380
2014/15 ***
1084
33,293
*Data Source:
Bunbury
Hospital
Intensive Care tracker.
**Data Source: WA Country Health Service (WACHS) online pivots for Emergency Department presentations and multiday bed days. Emergency Department activity is recorded as presentations; there is no measurement for bed occupancy or bed days.
*** The data provided in this response refers to presentations for the period up to 5 December 2014 for the 2014-15 financial year. This information is now captured by WebPAS. WACHS is unable to draw the report at this stage while awaiting WebPAS updates.
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