The dashboard includes a barometer ranging from normal to extremely busy, as well as a display of the expected longest current wait time, the number of patients waiting to be seen, and the number of patients currently being treated.
The tool is designed to help the community understand demand on the Shepparton hospital’s ED and make informed decisions about whether to attend.
The ED should only be visited for urgent or life-threatening conditions, and for non-urgent or life-threatening conditions, people should visit their GP or consider a number of alternative services available.
To help people with this, GV Health has also developed a printable guide listing services that provide health support, advice and consultations, many of which are available 24/7.
GV Health chief executive Matt Sharp said the new dashboard would help people manage expectations and make informed choices about where to go for care.
“GV Health’s ED frequently experiences very high demand,” he said.
“Staff work tirelessly to attend to patients as quickly as possible, prioritising those with life‑threatening emergencies.
“By using the emergency department dashboard and exploring alternative services for non‑urgent matters, community members will be able to find the best care at the time they need it, and help ensure things run as smoothly as possible for people attending the ED.”
The emergency department dashboard is now live on the GV Health website at gvhealth.org.au/our-services/wards/emergency-department and will soon be displayed on screens in the ED.
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