less than
2 mins
Hospital wait times: private vs public
There are some key differences between how long you’ll wait for emergency treatment and elective surgery in public vs private hospitals.
Public hospital wait times for emergency treatment are typically categorised by the urgency of the patients’ situation, and vary widely between states.
Public hospital wait times for elective surgery also vary widely between states and surgery type. Public patients cannot typically choose their preferred hospital and doctor.
Waiting lists for elective surgery at private hospitals are usually significantly shorter. And if you have appropriate private health insurance, you can typically choose your preferred hospital and doctor.
Public hospital wait times: Emergency
Public hospital wait times: Emergency (national)
Nationally, in 2022-23 patients waited longer, on average, in public hospital emergency departments than in 2019-20 and 2021-22.
In 2022-23:
90% of emergency patients were seen within 124 minutes.
50% of patients were seen within 20 minutes.
65% of patients were ‘seen on time’ for their triage category.
The overall proportion of patients ‘seen on time’ has decreased slightly since 2021–22 (67%).
Public hospital wait times: Emergency (by state)
In 2022-23, New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian public hospitals recorded shorter average emergency department waiting times for 90% of patients than the national average.
Public hospitals in Tasmania, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia all recorded longer shorter average emergency department waiting times for 90% of patients than the national average.
90% of patients in South Australia, on average, experienced the longest emergency wait times in public hospitals.
Table 1.1: Emergency public hospital wait times by state in 2022-23
Hospital wait times NSW (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 100 minutes |
Hospital wait times VIC (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 114 minutes |
Hospital wait times QLD (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 91 minutes |
Hospital wait times WA (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 191 minutes |
Hospital wait times SA (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 212 minutes |
Hospital wait times TAS (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 143 minutes |
Hospital wait times ACT (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 191 minutes |
Hospital wait times NT (emergency) | 90% of patients were seen within 161 minutes |
Public hospital wait times: Emergency (by triage category – national)
When a patient first enters a hospital emergency department, a nurse will typically assess their symptoms and categorise the patient based on the urgency of their situation.
This is called ‘triage’. It helps hospital staff ensure patients that require the most urgent care are prioritised.
Five triage categories are generally used in public hospitals in Australia:
Resuscitation
Emergency
Urgent
Semi-urgent
Non-urgent
Table 1.2: National public hospital emergency wait times by triage category in 2022-23
Triage category | National average |
Resuscitation | 90% of emergency patients were seen within 1 minute |
Emergency | 90% of emergency patients were seen within 33 minutes |
Urgent | 90% of emergency patients were seen within 128 minutes |
Semi-urgent | 90% of emergency patients were seen within 151 minutes |
Non-urgent | 90% of emergency patients were seen within 133 minutes |
Public hospital wait times: Emergency (by triage category – by state)
In 2022-23, resuscitation triage wait times were minimal across all states, ranging from 0 to 2 minutes, which indicates an immediate response to the most critical emergencies.
South Australia recorded the longest wait time (59 minutes) for emergency triage, while Western Australia has the shortest (24 minutes). Most other states range between 26 and 38 minutes.
There is a notable disparity in wait times for urgent and semi-urgent categories among states. For instance, South Australia and Western Australia recorded longer wait times compared to New South Wales and Queensland across these categories.
Table 1.3: State public hospital emergency wait times for 90% of patients by triage category in 2022-23
Triage category | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT |
Resuscitation | 1 minute | 1 minute | 2 minutes | 0 minutes | 0 minutes | 0 minutes | 1 minute | 0 minutes |
Emergency | 27 minutes | 35 minutes | 33 minutes | 24 minutes | 59 minutes | 36 minutes | 26 minutes | 38 minutes |
Urgent | 92 minutes | 110 minutes | 93 minutes | 222 minutes | 260 minutes | 145 minutes | 194 minutes | 147 minutes |
Semi-urgent | 127 minutes | 148 minutes | 113 minutes | 205 minutes | 213 minutes | 170 minutes | 219 minutes | 190 minutes |
Non-urgent | 117 minutes | 138 minutes | 114 minutes | 155 minutes | 191 minutes | 173 minutes | 199 minutes | 165 minutes |
Public hospital wait times: Elective surgery
Public hospital wait times: Elective surgery (national)
Nationally, in 2022-23, public hospital waiting times for almost all elective procedures were longer than in 2021-22.
In 2022-23:
50% of patients were admitted for elective surgery within 49 days, an increase from 40 days in 2021–22.
9.6% of patients waited longer than 365 days to be admitted for elective surgery, an increase from 6.3% in 2021–22.
The median waiting time for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people (56 days) was higher than for other Australians (49 days).
Public hospital wait times: Elective surgery (by state)
In 2022-23, 90% of patients in New South Wales waited longer, on average, for surgery in public hospitals, and was the only state or territory to exceed the national average.
Over the same period, 90% of patients in Queensland experienced the shortest wait times, on average, for surgery in public hospitals.
Elective surgery wait times of 90% of patients in public hospitals in Victoria, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia were all shorter the national average.
Table 1.4: Elective surgery public hospital wait times by state in 2022-23
Hospital wait times NSW (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 400 days |
Hospital wait times VIC (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 357 days |
Hospital wait times QLD (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 307 days |
Hospital wait times WA (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 344 days |
Hospital wait times SA (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 335 days |
Hospital wait times TAS (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 358 days |
Hospital wait times ACT (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 328 days |
Hospital wait times NT (surgery) | 90% of patients were admitted within 321 days |
Public hospital wait times: Elective surgery (by clinical category)
In 2022-23, public hospital wait times for similar surgeries varied significantly between states.
Across all states, head and neck surgeries had the longest wait times, often exceeding 500 days. The wait time was longest in Victoria (602 days) and shortest in South Australia (384 days).
Plastic and reconstructive surgery wait times were the shortest overall. Northern Territory recorded the shortest waiting time (72 days), and Tasmania the next shortest (155 days).
Table 1.5: Public hospital wait times for 90% of patients by type of surgery and state in 2022-23
Type of surgery | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT |
Cardio-thoracic | 85 days | 131 days | 108 days | 206 days | 82 days | 119 days | 56 days | N/A |
Head and neck | 518 days | 602 days | 401 days | 582 days | 384 days | 388 days | 556 days | 489 days |
Gynaecology | 297 days | 344 days | 270 days | 202 days | 347 days | 396 days | 298 days | 126 days |
Neurosurgery | 428 days | 421 days | 175 days | 218 days | 145 days | 328 days | 239 days | N/A |
Ophthalmology | 434 days | 335 days | 321 days | 356 days | 338 days | 287 days | 385 days | 588 days |
Orthopedic | 490 days | 472 days | 397 days | 454 days | 369 days | 641 days | 483 days | 392 days |
Plastic and reconstructive | 272 days | 325 days | 252 days | 254 days | 237 days | 155 days | 191 days | 72 days |
Urological | 206 days | 182 days | 105 days | 160 days | 180 days | 125 days | 157 days | 145 days |
Vascular | 305 days | 321 days | 144 days | 171 days | 191 days | 213 days | 83 days | 191 days |
Paediatric | 350 days | 394 days | N/A | 317 days | 180 days | 134 days | 330 days | N/A |
How to check hospital wait times
Depending on where you live, you may be able to check public hospital wait times for emergency departments online.
For example, New South Wales and Victoria both post real-time emergency wait times at participating hospitals online.
In the public hospital system, wait times for elective surgery vary widely between states and the type of procedure.
General guidelines for public hospital wait times for elective surgery are:
Urgent surgery: Should be performed within 30 days.
Semi-urgent surgery: Should be performed within 90 days.
Non-urgent surgery: Should be performed within 365 days.
What elective surgeries have the longest wait times
Hospital wait times for elective surgeries vary widely between states. See table 1.5 above
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Sources
Emergency department care access, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Elective surgery, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Elective surgery access, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Emergency department care access
Elective surgery waiting times, Australian Patients Association
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Meet our health insurance expert, Chris Stanley
Chris's top health insurance tips
- 1
Australia’s public health system is world-class, but wait times for public hospitals can be long, inconvenient - and leave you living in constant pain while you wait.
- 2
An appropriate private health insurance policy can speed up your surgery, relieving your pain sooner.
- 3
Family health cover means your children are covered under the same policy as you.
- 4
Many health insurance policies come with a 12-month waiting period for pregnancy-related cover, so it’s a good idea to get a family policy organized well before starting your family. This means your child will be covered from birth until at least their early twenties (depending on which health fund you select).