Ambulance wait times rise in Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst, BHI reveals

Between April and June of this year, some patients in Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst were left waiting for over half an hour after calling for an ambulance in potentially life-threatening situations.

In lower priority situations the time for an ambulance to arrive climbed to over an hour in Bathurst, one hour in Dubbo and just under an hour in Orange.

The figures come as part of the Bureau of Health Information's latest quarterly healthcare report, released on Wednesday. The report tracks activity and performance for public health services in NSW between April and June, 2023.

Bureau of Health Information chief executive Dr Diane Watson said, across the state, ambulance response times have improved.

"In April to June 2023, ambulance response times improved from the record long waits the same time one year ago," she said.

However, Dubbo, Bathurst and Orange all saw a decrease in the number of ambulance calls being responded to on time - within 15 minutes for life-threatening situations and within 30 minutes for "urgent" situations.

Of the three cities, Orange saw the largest jump in the time it took ambulances to arrive.

Ambulances only arrived at highest priority calls within 15 minutes 47.5 per cent of the time, 8.1 percentage points lower than the same time last year.

Response times for lower priority calls in Orange dropped by 9.9 percentage points, with ambulances only arriving on scene within half an hour 63 per cent of the time.

The median ambulance response time in Orange during emergencies was 13 minutes and in urgent situations the median arrival time was 19 minutes.

Bathurst also saw a significant increase in ambulance response times for highest priority calls, with the percentage of ambulances arriving within 15 minutes dropping by 5 percentage points to 52.5 per cent.

Ambulances arrived on scene for lower priority calls in Bathurst within half an hour 62.4 per cent of the time, a drop of 7 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2022.

On average, Bathurst locals waited 12 minutes for an ambulance in emergency situations and 20 minutes in urgent situations.

Ambulance response times in Dubbo were slightly better than in Bathurst and Orange but were still worse off compared to last year.

In Dubbo, ambulances responded to highest priority calls within 15 minutes 55.8 per cent of the time, down 1.1 percentage points from the same quarter last year. Ambulances arrived on scene at lower-priority calls within half an hour 64.8 per cent of the time, down 10.6 per cent.

The median wait time for an ambulance in emergencies in Dubbo was 12 minutes and for urgent situations was 17 minutes.

Responding to the data - which also included information on emergency room wait times and elective surgeries - NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the health system is "showing signs of improvement" but that "public hospitals continue to face major pressures".

He said the government is "committed to improving the essential health services" and boosting the numbers of regional paramedics.

"We've inherited a health system facing great pressure and significant strain. I've always said there are no quick fixes and it will take time to address these challenges," he said.

"We are determined to begin rebuilding our state's health system with a comprehensive and ambitious agenda.

"I want to make sure all people in NSW receive the right level of health care, service and access and have confidence in their hospital and health system."

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