Emergency department performance
This page presents information on the operational performance of ACT emergency departments (EDs), with data provided about the timeliness of treatment from arrival through to admission or departure.
Data highlights
Patients starting treatment on time
When a patient arrives at an ED for treatment or care, a triage nurse assesses the urgency of the patient’s need for medical or nursing care and assigns a category according to the Australasian Triage Scale, set by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. The triage system ensures people most in need of care are seen and treated with priority, and within the shortest timeframe.
Median waiting time to treatment in emergency departments
The median waiting time is the time within which 50 per cent, or half, of all patients waiting for care were seen by a nurse or medical practitioner.
Patients leaving emergency departments within four hours
The 'length of stay' in the ED refers to the time between a patient's arrival and departure from the ED, whether that be discharged home, admission into hospital for further care, transfer to another hospital, or departure against medical advice.
Patients who did not wait to be seen
In some instances, patients who register their arrival at the ED choose not to wait for treatment in the ED to commence. This might occur if a patient feels they no longer require treatment or if the wait time is longer than they expect. A patient may also decide to leave the ED against medical advice. That is, after their clinical care has commenced and before their care has been completed.
How to download data
Download the emergency department performance data displayed in this dashboard using the following link.