Overview
- The Oct–Dec 2025 quarter logged 408,518 ambulance calls, 300,367 incidents and 820,009 emergency attendances, the highest since reporting began.
- More than 79,000 people left emergency departments before completing treatment in the quarter, with a sharp rise among the most urgent cases.
- Patients medically ready for discharge but stuck in hospital rose about 50% over the year to 776, which the NSW health minister says equals two major hospitals effectively offline each day.
- Wollongong Hospital reported extreme delays, with one in ten admitted patients spending more than 30 hours in the emergency department before admission or transfer.
- Non‑acute inpatient stays averaged 19.3 days, a record for comparable quarters, as governments cite improved on‑time care and more elective surgeries while arguing over new federal funding and NDIS discharge times.