Victoria's emergency rooms face record crowds and staffing strain

Inside St Vincent’s and Austin emergency departments, clinicians are confronting a flood of severely ill patients, from a psychotic attacker to a teenager overdosing on ice and GHB, and an 80-year-old woman in heart failure. Directors note that older Victorians are arriving with catastrophic injuries from falls and multiple chronic illnesses, making diagnosis and treatment increasingly time-consuming. Between January and October, St Vincent’s treated 43,171 patients, a rise of over 1,400 compared with the same period the previous year.

State data show more than half of emergency attendees wait beyond four hours, and paramedics often wait two to eight hours to off-load patients. A $1.5 billion state plan aims to cut wait times by up to 20 percent, expand 12 emergency departments by 25 percent, add 1,500 health workers and 250 beds over four years, while hospitals also create dedicated geriatric teams to move patients into aged-care or rehabilitation facilities.