Hospital admissions are up again according to a report released
today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).The
report, Australian hospital statistics 2005-06, shows
there were 7.3 million public and private hospital admissions in
2005-06, compared to approximately 7 million in 2004-05. This
included a 4.5% rise in public acute hospital admissions and a 3.3%
rise in private hospital admissions.
'The total number of days Australians spent in hospital was 24.3
million, 2% higher than in the previous financial year.' said Mr
George Bodilsen of the Institute's Hospitals Unit.
Between 1996-97 and 2005-06 same-day hospital admissions rose
from 45% of admissions to about 55%, and now account for almost
half of admissions in public hospitals and 64% in private
hospitals.
'The increasing numbers of same-day admissions means that the
average length of stay for all admissions has fallen by 21% between
1996-97 and 2005-06, from 4.2 days to 3.3 days,' Mr Bodilsen
explained.
'While same day admissions have increased, the average length of
other hospital stays has remained fairly constant. Excluding
same-day admissions, the average length of stay in 2005-06 was 6.3
days in public acute hospitals and 5.4 days in private hospitals,'
he said.
The report also provides statistics on many other aspects of
hospital treatment, including services in public hospital emergency
departments.
It showed there were approximately 6.3 million accident and
emergency occasions of service provided in Australia's public
hospitals in 2005-06, an increase over the 6.0 million provided in
2004-05.
In the majority of visits (69%), patients were seen on time,
including 99% of those needing immediate care and 77% of those who
required care within 10 minutes of arriving in the emergency
department. The proportion seen on time overall was also 69% in
2004-05, 100% for those needing emergency care and 76% of those
requiring care within 10 minutes.
During 2005-06, Australia had 1,291 public and private
hospitals, with almost 82,000 available hospital beds. Compared
with 2004-05, bed numbers decreased for public hospitals by 0.9%,
to about 54,600, and increased for private hospitals by 3.0%, to
about 27,200.
Total recurrent expenditure on public acute and public
psychiatric hospitals was $24 billion in 2005-06, 5.6% higher than
expenditure in 2004-05 after adjusting for inflation.
31 May 2007
Further information: Mr George Bodilsen AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1157 or 0409 756 800
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of Australian hospital
statistics 2005-06.