WERRIBEE Mercy Hospital’s ambulance bypass rate remains among the highest of Victoria’s major hospitals, despite recording a 9 per cent drop between September and December last year.
According to the state government’s Health Services Performance Report, the hospital spent 13.1per cent of the time between October and December 2011 on bypass.
Between July and September the hospital was on bypass for 24.1 per cent of the time.
The state average for the December 2011 quarter was 1.4 per cent. The only metropolitan hospital to record a higher bypass rate than Werribee Mercy was Sandringham Hospital.
Werribee Mercy Hospital executive director Richard Ainley said the high bypass rate reflected the size of the hospital.
“When it comes to bypass rates, Werribee Mercy Hospital is a community hospital and does not have an intensive care unit on site, which means it generally has a higher bypass rate than other, larger hospitals,” he said.
The report also outlined patient satisfaction with hospitals and the length of time they take to treat patients. It found patient satisfaction at Werribee Mercy fell between July 2010 and June last year.
Patients rated the overall care at the hospital at 75.5 out of 100, down from 78.9. The state average was 79.
The hospital fared well in the time it took to treat or admit patients presenting to its emergency department, exceeding benchmarks for category two and three patients.
Mr Ainley said the hospital had worked to improve emergency department wait times.
“Investment in new equipment, more effective liaison with local GPs, extra beds in our transition care program and changes to our short stay unit all contribute to improved emergency department wait times.”
Health Minister David Davis said the hospital had shown improvement in patient treatment times.
