HNZ00066252 Response.pdf

22 October 2024

Mat  A
[FYI request #28463 email]

Tēnā koe Matt

Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00066252
Thank you for your email, transferred from the Ministry of Health to Health New Zealand |
Te Whatu Ora on 24 September 2024, asking for the following under the Of icial Information Act
1982 (the Act):
Please provide data on the wait times experienced in EDs for the last 2 years, on a monthly
or quarterly basis as available.
If possible, I'd appreciate a breakdown by former DHB, but the key information I am after is:
Nationally, the number of people waiting under 4 hours; 4-8 hours; 8-12 hour; or 12+hours
for admission or discharge.
I recognise that reporting against the 6 hour target is available, but this does not give me
the granularity I am after.
Response
If possible, I'd appreciate a breakdown by former DHB, but the key information I am after is:
Nationally, the number of people waiting under 4 hours; 4-8 hours; 8-12 hour; or 12+hours
for admission or discharge.
On 3 October 2024, we advised you that our system is unable to provide the breakdown of ED wait
times you have requested and we sought to refine your request. To date, we have not received a
response to this request.
As such, Health NZ is refusing the second part of your request under section 18(e) of the Act, for a
breakdown of under 4 hours, 4-8 hours, 8-12 hour or 12+hours, as the information does not exist.
However, in response, we have provided ED lengths of stay from June 2022 to June 2024,
broken down by former District Health Board and by <1 hour, 1-<3 hours, 3-<6 hours, 6-<9 hours,
9-<12 hours, and 12+hours.
Please note the following data caveats:
•  This data is provisional and has not undergone full quality assurance. The data is for
operational purposes and has not undergone the validation process that we use for
published data.
•  Data source is National Non-Admitted Patient Collection (NNPAC)
•  Data is provided until June 2024, which is the latest data that has been verified by local
areas.

Please provide data on the wait times experienced in EDs for the last 2 years, on a monthly
or quarterly basis as available.
This data shows the average time from patient presentation at the emergency department to being
seen by a treating clinician. This is different to the length of stay data shown in the second table
below.
Table A: National average emergency department wait times between June 2022 and
June 2024
Month and year
Average wait time in hours
Jun-2022
1.65
Jul-2022
1.60
Aug-2022
1.64
Sep-2022
1.67
Oct-2022
1.70
Nov-2022
1.69
Dec-2022
1.68
Jan-2023
1.64
Feb-2023
1.64
Mar-2023
1.65
Apr-2023
1.62
May-2023
1.66
Jun-2023
1.78
Jul-2023
1.82
Aug-2023
1.86
Sep-2023
1.80
Oct-2023
1.80
Nov-2023
1.80
Dec-2023
1.73
Jan-2024
1.78
Feb-2024
1.76
Mar-2024
1.65
Apr-2024
1.64
May-2024
1.69
Jun-2024
1.86

The time someone waits in ED, both before and after seeing a doctor can be complex. People are
assessed on arrival and prioritised based on their level of clinical need and acuity, not by order of
presentation.
EDs work hard to assess, treat, and discharge or admit patients within a reasonable timeframe.
High demand, however, can mean people triaged as less urgent may wait longer to see a doctor.
Al  decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by experienced clinical staff, with patient safety as
the key focus. Anyone needing emergency-level care receives it, and people receive treatment –
such as pain relief and X-ray – while waiting to see a doctor, and ongoing support afterward. 

If possible, I'd appreciate a breakdown by former DHB, but the key information I am after is:
Nationally, the number of people waiting under 4 hours; 4-8 hours; 8-12 hour; or 12+hours
for admission or discharge.
As noted previously, we are unable to provide the break down as requested. In response,
we have provided ED lengths of stay June 2022 to June 2024 broken down by <1 hour, 1-<3
hours, 3-<6 hours, 6-<9 hours, 9-<12 hours, and 12+hours and former District Health Board.
Table B: The number of attended ED events by former District Health Board area between
June 2022 and June 2024 by length of stay
Length of stay Former District
Number of attended
Health Board area
ED events**
<1 hour
Auckland
8,603
<1 hour
Bay of Plenty
13,444
<1 hour
Canterbury
10,932
<1 hour
Capital and Coast
4,393
<1 hour
Counties Manukau
9,710
<1 hour
Hawke's Bay
10,971
<1 hour
Hutt Valley
1,461
<1 hour
Lakes
8,084
<1 hour
MidCentral
3,573
<1 hour
Nelson Marlborough
11,409
<1 hour
Northland
7,226
<1 hour
South Canterbury
3,274
<1 hour
Southern
28,218
<1 hour
Tairawhiti
8,605
<1 hour
Taranaki
5,717
<1 hour
Waikato
34,613
<1 hour
Wairarapa
1,140
<1 hour
Waitemata
6,207
<1 hour
West Coast
1,674
<1 hour
Whanganui
600
1-<3 hours
Auckland
57,204
1-<3 hours
Bay of Plenty
38,334
1-<3 hours
Canterbury
68,211
1-<3 hours
Capital and Coast
15,950
1-<3 hours
Counties Manukau
44,500
1-<3 hours
Hawke's Bay
30,129
1-<3 hours
Hutt Valley
20,441
1-<3 hours
Lakes
39,894
1-<3 hours
MidCentral
8,402
1-<3 hours
Nelson Marlborough
34,659
1-<3 hours
Northland
41,594
1-<3 hours
South Canterbury
16,859
1-<3 hours
Southern
55,922
1-<3 hours
Tairawhiti
27,550
1-<3 hours
Taranaki
32,298
1-<3 hours
Waikato
64,657

Length of stay Former District
Number of attended
Health Board area
ED events**
1-<3 hours
Wairarapa
7,560
1-<3 hours
Waitemata
39,278
1-<3 hours
West Coast
7,846
1-<3 hours
Whanganui
7,316
3-<6 hours
Auckland
100,018
3-<6 hours
Bay of Plenty
65,395
3-<6 hours
Canterbury
120,373
3-<6 hours
Capital and Coast
35,475
3-<6 hours
Counties Manukau
92,430
3-<6 hours
Hawke's Bay
36,675
3-<6 hours
Hutt Valley
42,949
3-<6 hours
Lakes
41,930
3-<6 hours
MidCentral
21,432
3-<6 hours
Nelson Marlborough
40,384
3-<6 hours
Northland
53,390
3-<6 hours
South Canterbury
20,012
3-<6 hours
Southern
65,228
3-<6 hours
Tairawhiti
14,199
3-<6 hours
Taranaki
39,568
3-<6 hours
Waikato
78,381
3-<6 hours
Wairarapa
13,699
3-<6 hours
Waitemata
99,016
3-<6 hours
West Coast
9,381
3-<6 hours
Whanganui
21,381
6-<9 hours
Auckland
40,829
6-<9 hours
Bay of Plenty
27,069
6-<9 hours
Canterbury
54,288
6-<9 hours
Capital and Coast
26,349
6-<9 hours
Counties Manukau
50,628
6-<9 hours
Hawke's Bay
14,141
6-<9 hours
Hutt Valley
19,499
6-<9 hours
Lakes
11,765
6-<9 hours
MidCentral
13,918
6-<9 hours
Nelson Marlborough
12,606
6-<9 hours
Northland
16,379
6-<9 hours
South Canterbury
3,835
6-<9 hours
Southern
28,520
6-<9 hours
Tairawhiti
2,114
6-<9 hours
Taranaki
14,939
6-<9 hours
Waikato
42,107
6-<9 hours
Wairarapa
6,481
6-<9 hours
Waitemata
39,303
6-<9 hours
West Coast
2,425
6-<9 hours
Whanganui
9,556
9-<12 hours
Auckland
13,844

Length of stay Former District
Number of attended
Health Board area
ED events**
9-<12 hours
Bay of Plenty
9,307
9-<12 hours
Canterbury
17,510
9-<12 hours
Capital and Coast
15,292
9-<12 hours
Counties Manukau
18,392
9-<12 hours
Hawke's Bay
5,708
9-<12 hours
Hutt Valley
6,629
9-<12 hours
Lakes
3,998
9-<12 hours
MidCentral
9,737
9-<12 hours
Nelson Marlborough
3,803
9-<12 hours
Northland
5,219
9-<12 hours
South Canterbury
535
9-<12 hours
Southern
11,751
9-<12 hours
Tairawhiti
354
9-<12 hours
Taranaki
5,926
9-<12 hours
Waikato
20,610
9-<12 hours
Wairarapa
2,123
9-<12 hours
Waitemata
14,337
9-<12 hours
West Coast
629
9-<12 hours
Whanganui
2,875
12+ hours
Auckland
8,799
12+ hours
Bay of Plenty
6,107
12+ hours
Canterbury
8,265
12+ hours
Capital and Coast
20,644
12+ hours
Counties Manukau
11,546
12+ hours
Hawke's Bay
6,724
12+ hours
Hutt Valley
4,940
12+ hours
Lakes
4,219
12+ hours
MidCentral
21,164
12+ hours
Nelson Marlborough
2,338
12+ hours
Northland
3,268
12+ hours
South Canterbury
159
12+ hours
Southern
12,286
12+ hours
Tairawhiti
150
12+ hours
Taranaki
6,005
12+ hours
Waikato
23,559
12+ hours
Wairarapa
1,392
12+ hours
Waitemata
13,374
12+ hours
West Coast
601
12+ hours
Whanganui
1,468
** shows attended events only, i.e. excludes those patients who did not wait, or who presented to
the ED in error.
We hope this information is useful to you.

How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at [email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al  requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil  be removed prior to release.

Nāku iti noa, nā

Astrid Koornneef (she/her)
Programme Director Acute Care
Hospital Performance
Planning, Funding and Outcomes

TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand