Photo: NPR

Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health Jill Hennessy today unveiled a new online portal that provides an up-to-date picture of likely wait times at the busy emergency department – 24 hours a day.

The Victorian-first RCH Emergency Department Status Tool rates current activity from normal to very busy or extremely busy using an easy to understand colour code – helping parents decide whether to head to a local emergency department or a GP.

Data shows more than 60 per cent of patients with non-life-threatening illnesses or injury bypass their local hospital on their way to the Royal Children’s Hospital – and patients with less serious cases can face long delays.

Long waits can be frustrating – so by giving families real-time information about the status of the emergency department, the Andrews Labor Government is giving patients the treatment they need faster and making the emergency department safer for hard-working health care staff.

As winter approaches, the Labor Government has allocated $50 million to 17 of Victoria’s biggest health services – including the Royal Children’s Hospital – to plan ahead and cater for more patients presenting at emergency departments.

As part of this boost, the Royal Children’s Hospital has received funding for extra short stay capacity, so they can treat more patients, faster.

This year’s Budget includes a record $2.1 billion boost to health care – giving our valued doctors, nurses and health care workers the tools and resources they need to treat more patients, sooner.

In the quarter ending March, the Royal Children’s Hospital treated 17,468 patients – higher than the 17,361 the year before. All Category 1 patients were treated immediately, while 98.4 per cent of patients were transferred within the 40-minute target – higher than the 97.3 per cent transfer rate for the year prior.

The Status Tool can be found at http://rch.org.au/emerg_rch/status.