Data shows sustained pressures remain on public hospitals

NSW Nursery and Midwifery Federation Media Release 11th March 2026

Record numbers of patients are attending public hospital emergency departments for treatment, prompting calls for the NSW Government to expand its Safe Staffing Levels policy into more clinical areas across the state.

According to the latest Bureau of Health Information (BHI) report, a record high of 820,009 people attended emergency departments during October to December last year, up 17,482 from the same quarter in 2024. The figures show triage categories one (resuscitation), two (emergency) and three (urgent) all rose, confirming patients are also presenting more acutely unwell.

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) General Secretary, Michael Whaites, said ongoing investment was needed to grow the skilled nursing and midwifery workforce, which would help facilitate the safe staffing reforms needed.

“The hospital data speaks for itself in that our public hospitals are under enormous and increasing pressure. In order to address this, we will need governments to be prioritising the necessary workforce reforms,” said Mr Whaites.

“Incredible progress has been made in introducing 1:3 in our EDs but there is still a long way to go, and these reforms will only be successful if there is ongoing commitment towards their implementation and enforcement.

“We know the strain that’s experienced in our emergency departments has a ripple effect on other clinical areas of our hospitals, in metropolitan and regional settings, so it’s imperative funding and resources are being secured sooner rather than later.”

NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary, Katrina Bough, acknowledged the volume of elective surgeries performed (58,922) during the final quarter of 2025 was up 7.2% compared to the previous year.

“There has been a concerted effort to address the backlog of urgent and semi-urgent elective surgeries. However, it’s clear we have capacity constraints given the rise in the number of elective surgeries contracted out to private hospitals,” said Ms Bough.

“Regardless, we still have patients waiting for very lengthy periods (up to 324 days) to receive non-urgent surgery, which can also lead to presentations back through emergency departments for intermittent care.

“It’s clear from this latest BHI quarterly report that investment in our healthcare system and the necessary workforce reforms go hand in hand. As the country’s largest public health provider, we want to see NSW considered as the employer of choice for nurses and midwives, ensuring the care people need can be delivered.”